


If I Didn't Care

by Atombombbabyy



Series: A Match Made In Nuka-World [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Blow Jobs, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Everything, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female slurs, Hate Sex, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Minor canon divergence, Nuka-World, Oral Sex, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, just whatever tags really, the whole nuka world thing just seemed messy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-08-29 04:00:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 79,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8474515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atombombbabyy/pseuds/Atombombbabyy
Summary: She wasn't a Raider. But that didn't mean that she didn't feel like one. Especially when he called her "Boss".





	1. Chapter 1

          Olivia Flynn prided herself on always being a practical person. She was practical when she went to law school. She had been practical when she had joined the military soon after. She had been practical in accepting the international covert agent position they had offered. She was practical when she married Nate, giving her stability and a grounding force. She was practical when she found out that she was pregnant (an impractical thing in her mind). She was practical when she signed them up for the spots in the local vault and when the bombs finally dropped, she was practical in getting to the vault and getting checked in. She had been practical when she woke up 200 years in the future to a murdered husband and kidnapped son. She had been practical when she tracked him down through the ruins of Boston, drawing on all her military and covert ops training. And she had been practical when, after all her efforts to find him, all she had found was a 60 year old monster with her son’s name. Olivia Flynn had then continued being practical and blew him and the Institute the fuck up. Quite suddenly she had found herself with nothing to be practical about. Out of her own time and without anyone tying her to the past, she discovered that she rather felt that she had very little to be practical about anymore. It was this aimlessness that led Olivia to follow the mysterious radio channel that had crackled through her Pip-boy one hot summer day.

           She had been sitting in Sanctuary tinkering with her rifle when the thing on her arm just started… _singing._

          “ _What if there was a place with all the zip of Nuka-Cola?!”_ A tinny voice cheerily sang out of the blue, causing Olivia to drop the tiny screw she was trying to line up on the weapon. She swore loudly and violently. The Pip-boy went on.

 _“Hiya kids! Remember, Nuka-World is only open for a few more weeks in October. Come down and see me and Cappy one last time before buckling down for the winter. Don't forget to bring your empty bottle of Nuka-Cola, to get 50 dollars off at the gate. So hop aboard the Nuka-Express and come and see the whole Nuka-family while you still can.”_ A crowd was forming around Olivia, drawn by the cheerful tone of the advertisement that suddenly blared from her wrist.

          “What the fuck…?” She whispered under her breath at the overly cartoonish voices. There was something pulling at her thoughts though; an unexplained familiarness of the song.

 _“The Nuka-Express is accessible through the Nuka-World Transit Center, parking fees will apply. Prices are subject to change, due to end of season. Nuka-World, Nuka-Express, and the Nuka-Cola characters are all registered trademarks of the Nuka-Cola Corporation.”_ The ad finished, the final words spilling out rapidly in the narrators voice. She quickly flicked through the screens on the device and shut the channel off, right as it began its cheery song again. She stared blankly at it for another moment before scanning the faces of the settlers around her. She found the face of Preston Garvey, Minuteman and one of the first friends she had made in the Commonwealth, and raised her arm at him. He lifted an eyebrow at her and stepped forward.

          “Well I know there was an old Nuka-World transit station south of here. I think I heard that Nuka- World itself had become some kind of trading community, but I’m not sure. I don’t think it ever took off like Diamond City or The Hub did.” He said, rubbing a hand over his stubbled chin in thought. Olivia crouched to retrieve her fallen screw. She found it under the workbench and stood, placing it carefully back on the top of the bench.

          “I heard a bunch of Raiders moved in and took ova’.” A voice piped in from behind them. Olivia looked and saw that for the most part, the crowd had dispersed. One or two people still lingered, however, and she turned to look at who had spoken. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the man, a middle aged guy with thick brown hair and an even thicker accent.

          “Raiders huh?” Olivia pondered out loud. The man nodded fiercely.

          “Yeah, heard they rolled in with a big sum’o’bitch and took ova’. I heard that the traders that didn’t get the hell outta dodge got slave collars attached to ‘em.” He said, emboldened by the attention he was getting. Olivia nodded slowly, taking the information in.  Preston shifted uncomfortably.

          “I’ve never heard anything like that, General. But then again I haven’t heard much about the place at all really.” He said, answering Olivia’s look. She shrugged non-commitally.

          “Well maybe I’ll have to go and have a look-see."

 

 

          She had followed the radio signal south and found the old transit station where she had been greeted by a small group of Gunners and a guy that had tried to scam her by telling her that his family had been captured by Raiders in the park. She had dispatched the Gunners and given the man a few choice words and he had wisely decided to tell her how to turn the monorail on and get into the actual park.

          That, it turned out, had been the fucking easy part. When the monorail had come into the station on the other side, (after passing by a burning tree that sent ominous shivers up her spine), she found herself at the beginning of a maze that the Raiders, (she now saw that the settler had been very fucking correct in who had moved in here), had called the Gauntlet.

          The Gauntlet was a turret, trap, and radiation filled nightmare, complete with dead bodies and the occasional Raider shooting at her. On the whole however, she found it to be relatively simple to navigate, once she realized she had to keep her eyes open for tripwires and load up on all the Rad-X her system could handle. She had thought she was getting close to the end, thought that she would finally be able to swing her gun up and actually shoot a god-damned Raider in the face for making her go through that, when she had ended up here, in a locker room in a dingy dark building that at one point was a fun place to ride bumper cars (or Cola-Cars, Jesus Christ), but now seemed to be where she may die. A voice over an intercom was telling her she was going to face someone called the “Overboss” who apparently had never been beaten before and was just itching to turn her into some kind of pulpy mess.

          It was funny, she thought as she rifled through a couple lockers for anything useful, how the smell of stale socks and small children lingered even after the end of the world had made anything resembling an amusement park defunct. She had just found a stimpak and was shoving it in her bag when another voice came over the intercom. It was one she hadn’t heard yet, deep and clear. It was quiet, as if it was trying not to be heard.

          “Hey. You wanna live?” It asked. She warily moved towards the box on the wall, glancing around for any cameras that may have been watching her. She pressed the button on the rusted box, causing a hissing noise to come from it.

          “Depends. Who are you?” She asked, letting the button go after she had finished speaking.

          “I’m the guy that’s gonna get you out of this alive. So listen up.” The man said. Olivia shifted uncomfortably and ran a hand through her (practically) close cropped hair.

          “Overboss Colter in the next room over there has fitted himself with some one of kind power armor; it’s wired up to the electric grid of this building, damn near invincible. In my time here no one has ever come close to getting through it, not with miniguns, grenades, nothing.” The voice went on. Olivia noted a slightly southern accent marking the low tones.

          “This fight is rigged, and not in your favor.”  Olivia scoffed at this and depressed the button once more.

          “Yeah well I would expect nothing less from fucking Raiders.” Her voice was rife with irritation. The intercom crackled with the man’s laughter.

          “Got a mouth on you, huh? Well if you want to live I stashed just the weapon you’ll need in a locker across the room, right-hand side on the bottom shelf.” It said.  Olivia warily moved to where the voice had directed. She wrenched open the rusted locker door and crouched down, gingerly placing her hand over the grip of… a fucking water gun? She stood and whirled back to the intercom, slamming her finger onto the button.

          “Is this a fucking joke? Are you really giving me a fucking squirt gun here?” She said, her hand gripping the plastic of the toy, squeezing and releasing in rising anger.

           “Yeah yeah I know what it looks like, but you’ll have to trust me.” The voice said, causing a stifled laugh from Olivia.

          “Trust you? Trust a Raider that just sent me through some fucked up maze and now expects me to fight some guy with electrified power…armor…” She trailed off, bringing the gun up to look at it.

          “Yeah, you get it now don’t you?” The voice went on, “You shoot the Overboss with that gun and the water will short circuit his suit, giving you the chance to cause all the mayhem you want. You gotta be quick though, the circuits will reroute fast.” Olivia absently shook the gun, hearing the sloshing inside as the man explained. It was reassuringly full.

          “Let’s get this over with.” She said, gripping the water gun tightly in one hand, and pulling her shotgun around to easy reach with the other. She could hear shouts from the other side of the walls and knew that even if she defeated this “Overboss” she would have a problem blowing through what sounded like a couple dozen Raiders on her own. She steeled herself and heard the click of the door in front of her. She pushed through it and onto the old floor of a bumper car arena.

          The floor was covered with the remains of the old cars, which lay disused and rusted in groups. Across from her was the control room, bright lights shining from the glass windows, and a large metal door that led onto the floor where she stood. The rest of the arena was lined with chain link fencing, behind which stood scores of Raiders, all jeering and booing as she walked onto the floor. They weren’t like the normal Raiders of the Commonwealth, she noticed. These Raiders were wearing a wide assortment of clothes and armor, and looked more like characters in a fucked up cartoon than the dangerous killers they actually were.

          “Ah, well well. Been a long time since we’ve had a bitch make it all the way through the Gauntlet.” Said a gruff voice with an Australian? New Zealand accent?, she wasn’t sure. Overboss Colter was approaching her from across the room, his huge armor crackling and sparking as he walked. Olivia swallowed hard and gripped the squirt gun, which she now saw read “Thirst-Zapper” in stylized letters across the side. As he got closer her heart leapt. The idiot wasn’t wearing a helmet.

          “I’d say I hate to kill a woman, but my heart has never bled much for-“ Olivia raised the red plastic toy before he could finish and aimed at his chest. She squeezed the trigger over and over, sending jets of water spraying at the man, who was no more than 4 feet away now. The water hit its mark, but nothing happened. The man in the suit laughed heartily and lurched forward, pulling a weapon up from his side. Olivia made a small step back, still squirting water but also silently cursing herself for trusting a fucking Raider when suddenly the sparking and hissing noises stopped. Colter also stopped, looking down at his suit in bewilderment. This was all the distraction Olivia needed to toss the water pistol aside and swing her shot gun up into the crook of her shoulder, taking aim in one quick motion.

          “Don’t call me a bitch.” She said, causing the Overboss to look up just in time for his head to become a vaporized mist of blood and brain matter. Eerily the suit stayed standing, but the arms went limp, dropping the weapon on the floor beside a jumble of rusted bumper cars. The noise in the room was deafening, a wild mixture of cheers and boos, interspersed with the cacophony of shaking chain link. A voice was struggling to be heard over the din, Olivia thought she heard it repeating “Holy shit!” over and over, but she couldn’t be sure. Still holding her weapon at the ready she confidently marched to the control booth where she could see the door was swinging open.

          “Looks like we got ourselves a new Overboss!” Said the same voice she had heard over the intercom in the locker room. She could see who it was coming from now, a large figure silhouetted in the door way of the control room. She came closer, her weapon still at the ready. The figure’s features melded into view.

          The man was tall and muscular, typical Raider build. He was wearing yellow cage armor that looked like it had been salvaged from a construction zone. His skin was darkened by the sun, making the yellow of his outfit pop vividly. He sported an eyepatch over one eye, which Olivia noted, was large and rather flamboyant for a Raider. His look was topped by a short brown Mohawk that looked like it had been kept that short with a dull knife, choppy and uneven.

          “That was both one of the best and worst fights I’ve ever seen, I mean, talk about anti-climactic…” The man was saying, ignoring both Olivia’s rage filled countenance and the weapon that pointed at his chest.

          “Give me one reason I shouldn’t blow you to hell.” She said dangerously, trying to hide the shaking of her knees. The noise level behind her was still high, but slowly dying down. She kept her eyes trained on the man in front of her, whose smile had faded from his face, but still lit his dark eyes.

          “Honey I can give you several reasons that’d be a fucking bad idea, not the least of which being that you’re surrounded by a bunch of Raiders that just watched you kill their leader, and need me to smooth it over before they don’t wanna skin you alive.” Olivia’s skin bristled at his use of the pet name, but she lowered the weapon slightly as he continued.

          “Another reason is cause I’m about to make you a damned good offer, and you should probably hear it out before you go making rash decisions.”

          “You can keep your offer; I think I’ll just go back the way I came if it’s all the same to you.” She said sharply. The man chuckled lightly.

          “Now you can’t do that, not after taking out the leader of this joint. We need someone to fill that position or all hell is gonna break loose.”

          “Well congratulations, I think you just got a promotion.” She said sarcastically.

          “I’m flattered but no. It ain’t my place. I do my best work as the right hand guy, you see? Anyways, the title of Overboss rightfully belongs to you now.” He said. Olivia let the weapon drop fully and laughed loudly, and without humor.

          “No way. You think I’m gonna be the one to lead a bunch of Raiders? Just because I made it through your little maze and killed some fuck in sparkly power armor?” The man laughed heartily, making a show of wiping his one good eye with the back of a grimy hand.

           “Damn I love a woman with a mouth. Now look, that wasn’t just some “little maze” and Colter, while he was a fuck, wasn’t just some guy in power armor. You are literally the first person to ever make it this far. Most people die in the first room of the Gauntlet. The fact you’re standing here proves you got what it takes to be Overboss.” He finished, staring at Olivia with expectancy. She shook her head, noticing the other people in the room for the first time.

           There were four of them, each looking wilder than the next. A man in clothing so colorful and furry Olivia could have mistaken him for a child’s toy, had it not been for the scars and the weapon he held. There were two standing very close to one another, brother and sister by the looks of them, and some of the most attractive people Olivia had seen in the wasteland so far. The last person was female, and that was about all she could tell, as she had some kind of odd mask obscuring most of her face. They were standing silently, watching the man in the yellow armor bicker with her.

          “Look, I appreciate this, I guess, but I don’t want to lead you guys. I’m not a Raider; in fact I’ve made quite the point to kill most Raiders I come across.” She said, wary of the reception this would get. The four people in the back moved anxiously, but were stayed by a wave of the one eyed man’s hand.

          “Well I’ll kindly ask you to refrain from that while you’re here, but I’m afraid that you made the choice for yourself when you took the monorail here and ran the Gauntlet. C’mon, follow me to the Overboss’s quarters and see what you’re gonna get out of all this, I bet you’ll be singing a different tune then.” He said, half turning to leave through the back door. He turned back quick and extended a dirty hand, causing Olivia to flinch slightly.

          “Porter Gage is the name, by the way. People just call me Gage though, unless they want a bullet in the head.” He said with a slight smile. Olivia eyed him momentarily before extending her own hand and grasping his.

          “Olivia Flynn.” She said cautiously. Gage shook her hand once and let go.

          “Alright then Boss, let me show you Nuka-World.”


	2. He's a Demon, He's a Devil

          The amusement park was much larger than she remembered, though she hadn’t ever been there before the war, she had just seen the advertisements on TV or in magazines. Just from exiting the bumper car arena and walking down the main drag she could see it stretched for miles around, with landmarks jutting up in the skyline in the distance. It was like its own city, buildings placed side by side down the road, creating an enclosed feeling that made her uncomfortable. Gage walked ahead of her, nodding here and there to wildly dressed Raiders, who stopped and stared at her, murmuring amongst themselves as they passed.

          “Gotta stop in the market place real quick, then we can be on our way.” Gage said, not turning to talk to her. She saw they were approaching a door in a circular wall that encompassed the middle of the main walkway. The sign over the door aptly read “Marketplace”. Gage wrenched it open and stepped in, not bothering to hold the door for Olivia. She stepped over the threshold and stood surveying the crowded area.

          It looked like any other market she had been to in the Commonwealth, crowded with people and wares, stalls haphazardly thrown together out of whatever could be salvaged from the surrounding areas. Gage had wandered off and was speaking to one of the merchants. Olivia began walking toward the closest vendor, uncomfortably aware of the eyes that bore into her. Word traveled fast in Nuka World, it seemed.

          The stall she approached was one that passed for a clinic, a big red cross painted on the front of some plywood propped up against a rickety table. A woman in shabby clothes was rifling through a box behind the counter, her back facing Olivia. She was small and thin looking, with dark hair that fell around her shoulders. Olivia cleared her throat to get her attention. The woman straightened up quickly and spun, her eyes widening when she saw Olivia standing there. Olivia’s eyes widened too at the sight of a clunky metal slave collar that ringed her malnourished neck. The settler in Sanctuary had been right.

          “Oh! O-Overboss, I didn’t see you there. Please excuse me, I-I wasn’t expecting you to come in here so soon after- I mean you can do whatever you please of course, but I-“ She rambled, hands scrabbling to pull the bits and bobs on the table into some semblance of order. Olivia placed her hand gently over the woman’s, feeling the bone through chilled skin.

          “Don’t worry about it. Please. I’m not gonna hurt you, I’m not like-“She began. The woman stared at her, and she thought she saw a smile start across her face, when suddenly she pulled her hand out from Olivia’s grip and straightened, looking over her shoulder. Olivia felt someone come up behind her, and saw a flash of yellow armor.

          “You ready boss?” Gage said, his eye fixed on the woman behind the stall. She flinched and averted her eyes to the floor. Olivia felt the heat in her cheeks rise and fought the urge to clench her fists.

          “Yeah.” She said in a low voice, still looking at the woman who had gone back to rifling through boxes of supplies.

          “Let’s go then.” Gage said tersely, and she felt him nudge her arm with his hand. She turned, glancing around at the other vendors in the market and seeing the gleam of the slave collars shine on all of their necks. She steeled herself and brought herself to her full height, though that wasn’t saying much as she barely topped 5’, and followed the Raider out through a door opposite the one they had come in. She was shaking, rage boiling inside her like molten steel, threatening to spill out through every pore in her body. Now wasn’t the place though. She wouldn’t survive a one on everyfuckingRaider shootout. So she took deep breaths and willed herself to be calm.

          Gage was walking ahead of her, leading her to what she now saw was a huge Nuka-Cola bottle that appeared to be tilted on its side. She recognized it, she realized. In the Pre-War ads it had been spewing colored water while that incessantly irritating song played in the background. She had an odd feeling of the past and present colliding uncomfortably, but shook herself and continued forward. There was a small pond in front of it, with a couple of the oddly dressed Raiders standing in knee deep water, running their hands along the bottom.

          “Looking for any caps or chems someone might have lost.” Gage said, reading her unspoken question. She watched them, their frantic mission evident in their jerky movements and the words they spoke to no one but themselves. She hiked her bag up onto her shoulder into a more comfortable position and caught her step up with Gage as they came in front of the gigantic bottle. He climbed on a rickety lift and waited for her to climb up as well, then pounded a button. The makeshift elevator began its slow ascent, creaking and groaning as it moved.

            Ignoring the man beside her she turned to survey the parts of the park she could see. It was large, that she knew, and from the lift she could see at least one of the other parks around, looming colorful in the distance. She could see the rest of what was called “Nuka-Town USA” from here as well, noting the “Nuka-Cade” sign that reflected the light of the setting sun.

          The elevator slammed to a halt at the top and Gage hopped off, walking into an open area with a bar in the center and lots of broken seating. She saw a power armor station in one corner and a bed on a small rise behind it. She also noted the broken animatronic people, stuck in creepy and unnatural poses all around the room.

          “Colter had a bit of an odd sense of decorating.” Gage said, watching as she dropped her bag and examined one of the statue like figures. She shot him a look that said she thought that was an understatement, before straightening up and facing the man head on.

          “Look, Gage. Your park is great and all, but-“ She started. Gage waved an impatient hand and cut her off.

          “Nah, it ain’t great. That’s what you’re here for. See, Colter had ideas but his dumb ass got lazy. He stopped caring about the big picture once we took this place, and that didn’t exactly sit right with everyone.” He said, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning against the central bar.

          “Well, regardless I still don’t think I’m the one that should be leading here. I mean, I have kind of a moral principle against slaves, for one. And for two, I’m not a fucking Raider.” She said, letting the word “Raider” spit out of her mouth in distaste. Gage shifted and a smirk played over his face. Olivia wanted to punch him.

          “There’s three distinct “groups” of Raiders, if that’s what you wanna call them.  There are the Disciples, headed by Nisha. There’s the Pack, headed by Mason. And there are the Operators, headed by Mags and William Black. You saw all them in the control booth at the Cola-Car arena.” Gage went on, ignoring her protest. Heat was rising in Olivia’s cheeks again as he went on.

          “They don’t exactly get along. Especially since Colter came in making promises he never intended to keep. They’re at each other’s throats constantly. This place is a volcano of fucking chems and misplaced anger just waiting to erupt.” He said, seeming proud of his analogy. Olivia scoffed loudly.

          “Sounds like you have a hell of a problem then.” She said defiantly. Gage’s eye flashed at her, that smirk still twitching at the corners of his mouth. He uncrossed his arms and took a step towards her. She didn’t think it was to be menacing exactly, but it was definitely to be intimidating. It didn’t work on her, however.

          “See, thing is, it ain’t my problem. It’s yours. I got you this far, girl, now it’s your turn to make this place all it can be.” He growled in that low voice. Olivia’s skin crawled at the way he had called her “girl”. She shrugged uncomfortably, as if she was readjusting her shirt over her shoulders and took a step towards the taller man.

          “First of all,-“ She said in a low tone, bringing out the voice she usually reserved for interrogations that had gone on long enough, “-Don’t call me girl. And secondly, you didn’t do shit except watch me almost get killed until it was gonna benefit you. I don’t owe you dick and I certainly don’t owe your fucking zoo of-“ She wasn’t able to finish as the man crouched, wrenching a large combat knife from his boot, and then lunged at her. She sidestepped him easily and he stumbled slightly, half tripping over a small side table before turning back to her. Olivia was quick and avoided the blade as he lunged again, more skillfully this time. As his arm flew past her head she grabbed it and threw her full weight into shouldering him in the side, throwing him off balance and giving her the leverage to toss him to the ground. He swept her legs as she moved to regain ground, and she landed on one knee, hard.

          “Fuck!” She yelled as she sprang to her feet again, getting there just as the man did, knife still clasped in his hand, holding a wide stance and watching her for a moment. Her heart was pounding in her ears blurring all outside noises. Suddenly he lunged again, trying to take her off guard but failing. She avoided the knife and brought the flat of her palm up into his jaw, jarring him and causing him to stagger to a halt, swearing under his breath.

          Olivia could feel a dull throb in her knee and still felt the reverberation of the hit in her arm. She pushed these feelings down. She needed to end this quickly. She turned, positioning herself between the man and her bag and let him charge her again, deftly avoiding the knife but allowing herself to be tossed onto her forgotten backpack. She smirked as her hands clasped cool metal. She lay still for a minute, letting Gage get close to her. He was almost on her now; she could hear his ragged breathing behind her. In one swift motion she flipped herself over, bringing the pistol up to his eye level, and pulled the slide back with a satisfying click.

          Gage stopped dead, eye flitting from the barrel of the gun, down to hers. She noted with some detachment that the one eye she could see was a hazy green. They were locked in this position for what seemed like hours, his knife still raised, her gun trained on the spot between his eye patch and his good eye. Suddenly, the fucker smiled.

          “There are a thousand Raiders out there that would kill to put a knife in your back right now. What’s standing between you and them is me. And what’s standing between you living and me smoothing all this shit out is you just saying you’ll do it. Do you understand?” He said, lowering the knife. Olivia stared at him. She realized with a sigh that he was right. It was become the Overboss, or die at the hands of these Raiders. The thought crossed her mind momentarily, what was really keeping her here anyways? But she shook it from her mind when she remembered the face of the woman in the marketplace. There would be no one to help them if she were dead.

          She dropped the gun, clearing the chamber quickly and tossed it back into her bag before getting to her feet, watching Gage intently. He still held the knife, but as she watched he tossed it to the ground, not breaking eye contact with her.

          “If I do this, there are gonna be changes around here.” She said cautiously. The man smiled, brilliant teeth flashing momentarily.

          “There always are.” He answered shortly. He rubbed a hand gingerly over his chin, still watching her.

          “I’d say I’m sorry about that, but I’m really not.” She said, half joking. The Raider stopped stroking the bruised flesh and let his hand drop, though the smile still spread on his face.

          “I’d expect nothing less from our new Overboss. Told you you had it in ya.” He said, crossing his arms over his armor once more. Olivia shook her head slightly still not quite believing the situation she now found herself in.

          “Yeah, well what now?” She said, slightly irritated. Gage cleared his throat.

          “Well the end game was always to get power back to the whole park, make it a place to be reckoned with again. To do that however, we gotta clear all the smaller parks out and assign gangs to them to keep them in order.” He began, pulling a ratty looking piece of paper from a pocket on his pants and handing it to her. She took it and carefully unfolded it. It was a map of Nuka-World, showing the five smaller parks in a ring with Nuka-Town USA at the bottom, a place called the Galactic Zone to the left, then Dry Rock Gulch and Safari Adventure above it, followed to the right by the bottling plant “World of Refreshment” and then finally Kiddie Kingdom. She refolded the paper and handed it back, watching as he carefully tucked it back in his pocket.

           “Five parks and 3 gangs doesn’t seem like great math.” She said, half sarcastically. Gage nodded solemnly.

           “Yeah, someone’s gonna get the short end, but hopefully we will be raking in so many caps they’ll be able to overlook that small fact.” He said.

          “I really can’t believe I’m doing this. This is fucking insane.” Olivia said quietly, watching as Gage unfolded his arms and turned to the lift.

           “Well believe it. I’m gonna go talk to the gangs, smooth things over for your visits tomorrow. Get some shut eye.” He said, walking up onto the lift.

          “Here?” Olivia said, glancing around the room and back to Gage.

          “Yeah these are the Overboss’s quarters. Welcome home.” He said, pounding the red button with his fist and disappearing to the groans of the makeshift elevator.


	3. Anything Goes

                Olivia woke with that fucking jingle ringing in her head again. She rolled over and groaned, thinking she would never be able to get that song out of her mind again when she realized that the song wasn’t coming from in her head. She cracked an eye and shot bolt upright on the stained mattress.

                “Morning sunshine.” Gage said, holding a Mr. Cappy alarm clock in his hand. He flipped a switch on the top of the clock and the song shut off. He tossed it into a corner of the room. Olivia watched him warily and then gazed around the room, seeing that the sun was well up.

                “What time is it?” She asked blearily, searching for her pants while Gage turned and wandered to the bar. He began pulling out glasses and an old box of Sugar Bombs.

                “Fuck if I know, sometime after 11 though. The leaders will be expecting you soon.” He said, pouring some brownish liquid in one of the glasses and downing it, before pouring another one. Pants located and put on, Olivia pulled on the ragged flannel shirt she had, and then started rooting around for her armor in the clutter she had left from the night before.

                “So what am I doing?” She asked, finding an arm guard and strapping it on. Gage gestured to what she assumed was breakfast with the raise of an eyebrow to her. She grimaced, still searching for random armor pieces.

                “You need to go to the gang’s leaders and introduce yourself, ya’ know, make nice. Tell them what you’re gonna do for them and all that shit. Really it’s a chance for you to size them up, and for them to do the same to you.” He said, pouring a handful of the sugar bombs out and tossing them in his mouth. Olivia watched him as she found her chest piece, then pulled it over her head and secured it.

                “Why does it matter? I’m the Overboss right? That means that what I say goes, no matter if I meet them or not.” She said facetiously. Gage scoffed and almost choked on the mouthful. His good eye narrowed at her in mild distaste.

                “Are you gonna be this bitchy the whole time, or are you gonna get over it?” Gage asked. The blood rose in Olivia’s cheeks and she took several heavy steps towards the man who watched her warily.

                 “Don’t call me bitchy. Don’t call me a bitch. Colter did that and I blew his fucking head off. I’ll do it to you too.” She said, as menacingly as she could. Gage swallowed and clapped his hands together, brushing off the excess cereal dust. He cleared his throat.

                “Fine, my apologies _Boss_. But yeah, you gotta meet them. Call it a courtesy.” He said, the word Boss coming out with a sarcastic edge. Olivia stepped back, consciously unclenching her fists.

                “Don’t call me Boss either.” She said and out of the corner of her eye she saw Gage roll his good eye skyward.

                “Alright then what should I call you?” He asked with exaggerated exasperation.

                “Flynn is fine.” She responded. He made a slight nod and gestured to the counter again. She shook her head and he shrugged. She grabbed her backpack and made for the lift, waiting for the man to catch up and hit the button, sending them on the slow decent back into the park.

 

                “So the Disciples make their home right under Fizztop Mountain here. The Pack are over in the old Amphitheatre, you’ll know when we get close, it smells like a zoo. And the Operators are in the theater they call the Parlor. We’re closest to the Disciples, so that’s where I’d head first.” Gage said as they reached the bottom of the elevator. He jumped off first, waiting for Olivia to fall into step behind him.

                “Alright, Disciples first I suppose.” She replied, following as they walked down a dirt path, past a radio that for once wasn’t playing that stupid jingle, but was instead blaring someone playing an un-tuned guitar. They rounded a corner and came up to a door where Gage stopped and turned to her.

                “Look, Nisha is… well she’s Nisha. The Disciples answer to one thing only; blood.” He said in what Olivia assumed was supposed to be a warning. She remembered the strange metal mask that had obscured the woman’s face in the control room and suppressed a shiver.   
                “I’m sure I can handle it.” She said as he turned to open the door. She thought she caught a slight shake of his head, but wasn’t sure, then followed him into the dark ahead.

                It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but even before they did she could smell the metallic tang of blood in the air. Several fire barrels lit the place, and she could see the tell-tale signs of Raiders; spikes and cages, filled with various pieces of viscera and gore. She wrinkled her nose slightly but made no other signs of disgust. This was actually what she had been expecting from the place.

                What she hadn’t been expecting was that all the raiders here, the Disciples, she thought, all had masks obscuring the majority of their faces. They were made of random things from around the park, she noticed. She couldn't see anyone without some kind of mask on.

                “What’s with the masks?” She asked quietly to Gage, who chuckled and shrugged.

                “Just their thing I suppose. Each gang has a different…style I guess you’d call it.” He said, bringing her to a ramp and starting to climb up what looked to be an old maintenance building. She followed, her footsteps echoing metallic stomps as they walked. For the most part the Raiders gave them a wide berth, staring at Olivia but keeping a respectful distance. She had expected to find Nisha on some sort of macabre throne, but was surprised when Gage stopped at a railing, a few feet in front of the woman she remembered from the arena.

                “Ahh, _Overboss_. How good of you to come to our humble abode.” Nisha purred, a sarcastic tone knitting her voice. Olivia stepped forward, ahead of Gage and stood straight, meeting what should have been Nisha’s eyes, were they not covered by the same ridiculous mask.

                “Yeah, great place you got here.  And I assume you know who I am by now?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady under the unnerving blank gaze of the mask.

                “Yes, Gage’s little pet project. Look I’ll just tell you this; the Disciples have one rule: Keep the peace. Other than that, it’s do what you want. We don’t tolerate bullshit and that’s all Gage’s last “Overboss” gave us. Sure Colter started out fine, but then he lost sight of the big picture. We’re done sitting around with our thumbs up our asses. It’s time for real action.” She said, her mouth showing through three spikes that came menacingly down over her face. Olivia shifted impatiently.

                “Well I aim to please. I’d think killing Colter would tell you I’m capable.” Olivia said. Nisha scoffed.

                “Look everyone wanted Colter dead. If I had my way it would have been slow and painful. Killing him doesn’t prove shit. It’s what you do now that counts.” She said.

                “Don’t worry, Nisha. I’ll do what Colter couldn’t.” Olivia said, putting as much confidence and authority into her voice as she could. Nisha smiled without humor.

                “Better hope so. Now is this meet and greet over? I have things to attend to.” She said, turning her head to Gage and then back over the railing, gazing unseeingly at the terrain around her.

                “See ya around.” Gage said, almost mockingly and turned, starting back down the ramp they came up. Olivia walked beside him this time, shoulders squared.

                She blinked as they walked back outside again, the light of the sun almost blinding her after being in the dark of the Disciples lair. She stretched, turning to Gage who was watching her with slight interest.

                “She’s a peach, huh? Seems like she’d be fun at parties.” Olivia said, surveying the area around them.

                “Don’t talk too much shit. Nisha isn’t to be trifled with. She may seem like a lot of drama and talk, but I’ve seen her flay a man still alive and laugh about it. She’s the one that controls the Gauntlet usually, so she may have taken it a bit personally you made it through so easily.” Gage said seriously. Olivia looked at him and smirked.

                “Don’t worry I’ll play nice. Though you could just make her Overboss and you wouldn’t have to bother with me anymore. Seems like she’d get shit done.” Olivia said, following Gage as he began to walk back into the Nuka-Town USA ruins.

                “Yeah, she’d get shit done; only there wouldn’t be anyone except Disciples left when she was finished.” Gage said. Olivia kept stride beside him as they passed around the small pond in front of the huge Nuka-Cola bottle.

                “See that’s why the Overboss can’t be anyone with a gang affiliation. They’d favor their own gang too much and destroy or force out the others. That’s why you’re here, to stop that from happening.” He finished.

                “Why do you care so much about what happens to them?” Olivia asked as they walked along the trash lined streets. Gage made a low sound that might have been a laugh.

                “I’ve seen too many gangs that could have been something tear themselves apart from being stupid. We’ve got a good thing going here, I don’t wanna see it squandered by some idiots that were too hooked on chems or too obsessed with killing or caps to make it what it could be.” He said. Olivia almost laughed out loud.

                “I’m sure the slaves you have in the market would beg to differ about this being “A good thing” you have going on.” She said, wary of the response she might get. Gage just turned his head and looked at her, his eye looking her up and down, before turning back to look at the road. Again, she was decidedly ignored.

                “Where to next then?” She asked, watching Gage out of the corner of her eye. He tilted his head up to the sun, squinting his good eye against the light.

                “Well, I guess that one’s up to you. You wanna go see Mason or Mags and William first?”

                “Who’s gonna take more offence to being seen last?” She asked. Gage smirked and looked at her.

                “Ahh, you’re catching on. Well probably Mason, but he and the Pack are easy enough to deal with. But don’t let their pretty faces fool you, the Operators may act civil and calm to your face, but they’ll be two steps ahead planning the best way to kill you if you look at them wrong.” He said, the smile still lingering on his lips. Olivia sighed.

                “Let’s go see the Operators first then. Mags and William run it?” She asked. He nodded.

                “Yeah, brother and sister, if you couldn’t tell from before. They’re ruthless and will do anything to make a few caps. They’ve turned the Operators into a serious force to be reckoned with around here.” He answered. They were turning down a small side road towards an unassuming building with a sign that read “The Parlor” over it. Gage walked in first.

                The Parlor was an old theater, the ticket counter still stood, the first thing you saw when you entered. The room that Mags and William occupied still had a stage, but had been turned into what looked like a large dining room, with huge tables lined with chairs running up the middle of the room. Elegant candles and oil lamps were scattered throughout, creating an ethereal glow off the maroon curtains of the stage. The two stood near the stage, as though expecting them; Mags was turned to speak with her brother, who leaned against a small table that had been placed against the stage. At Gage and Olivia’s entrance they looked up, smiling genially as they approached.

                “Well, I suppose we owe you one for putting down Colter.” Mags’s sultry voice said, her eyes focused on Olivia as she walked in a pace ahead of Gage. William scoffed from the table.

                “He was a fucking idiot. Made all of us Raiders look bad.” He said, running a hand over his bearded face. Olivia fought the urge to tell them that Colter wasn’t all that was wrong with their image problem, but held her tongue. The two definitely had a family resemblance. Angled features, high cheekbones and smooth pale skin. They were slightly unnerving to behold.

                “Yes, it seems we can take solace that someone finally gave him what he deserved. I want to know something, though. How did it feel when you killed him? When you blew the head off that walking pile of garbage?” She asked. Olivia almost asked her to repeat the question; she had asked it so easily. As if she was asking about the weather. How had she felt when she had killed someone? No one had asked her that in a very long time. She shot Gage a look out of the corner of her eye and saw him watching her, as though he also wanted to hear the answer to the question Mags had asked.

                “Well aside from it being him or me?” She started, seeing that this garnered no response she quickly thought of another addition to her (admittedly) rather weak explanation. She thought back to the incident in question, felt her blood boiling and adrenaline racing as it had when she had faced the electrified Raider the day before. The word “bitch” spilling from his lips and erasing all qualms she had had about putting him down.

                “It felt like it always does when I kill someone that disrespects me. Satisfying.” She said, almost surprising herself with the ruthlessness of her words. It was true though, she hated that word. She hated being called it more. Gage shifted, perhaps remembering the venom in her words when he had called her bitchy. Mags smiled and looked quickly to her brother.

                “Hmm. Perhaps you’ll do just fine in this position after all.” She said, her hard grey eyes softening slightly.

                “Let’s just hope you do better than the last Overboss. And let’s hope you recognize that the Operators are the gang that you should be backing in all this.” She said, an edge slipping back into her velvet voice. Olivia fought the urge to sigh. She was tired of the power plays here already.

                “And I guess you’re gonna tell me why it is I should back your gang over the others?” Olivia asked cautiously. Mags chuckled humorlessly.

                “The Operators are the only gang here that sees this park for what it truly is. A place where we can make a shit load of caps.” She started; Olivia watched her look to her brother.

                “The others are motivated by lunatic bloodlust and animal instinct. They don’t have what it takes to make this place all it can be.” William finished for his sister. She nodded slightly and looked back to Olivia.

                “The only reason we ever joined Colter and Gage’s little Raider Collective was because we knew that if this place was up and running again, we would be filthy fucking rich. We wanted to help restore the park to that goal.” The woman went on. Her brother chimed in again, agitation lacing his voice.

                “But Colter had us sitting around for almost a year while he fucked off to his mountain top get away. Making promises and building that fucking Gauntlet bullshit to try to distract us from the fact that he probably never had any intentions of taking back the rest of the park.” He said, shooting a cold look at Gage who returned it in kind.

                “So that brings us to you, and what you’re gonna do to help us achieve what Colter so obviously couldn’t.” Mags finished, a hand reaching out to brush her brothers forearm. William relaxed slightly and dropped his gaze from Gage.

                “I’ll tell you what I told Nisha, and what I assume I’ll tell Mason.” Olivia began; pleased to see she had both of their attentions.

                “I’ll do what Colter failed to do. Don’t worry.” She finished. Mags and William both smiled at her, though the smiles weren’t entirely in good humor, she thought. They both had traces of mock belief to them.

                “I guess we will see. In the meantime you’re welcome in the Parlor anytime you’d like.” Mags said subtly dismissing them. Olivia nodded to the siblings and turned on her heel, exiting the building to an almost exact range of stares that she had received from the Disciples. Not every day there’s a new Overboss, she thought.

 

                Olivia could smell the amphitheater before she saw it, just as Gage had said. It was a subtle musky scent that stuck in her nostrils. Gage made no mention of it, nor did his dour expression change, and she took this to mean that the smell was normal. The Raiders outside of the area wore markedly different clothing then the other Raiders she had seen. Their outfits were neon colors with armor and masks that looked like they had been cobbled together from broken children’s toys. Their faces and arms were painted with vibrant colors as well, giving them the appearance of animals displaying themselves for mating.

                This impression was strengthened when they entered the amphitheater and were met by the sight of two of the Pack members fucking near the wall to the right. No one around seemed to mind, and in fact the other Raiders seemed to be acting as if this was an everyday occurrence. Olivia glanced at Gage out of the corner of her eye, and saw that he apparently saw this as something to expect when wandering into Pack territory. Olivia straightened herself and looked around, finding that the Pack leader was sitting on a throne across the clearing of the stadium. He was busy talking to some of the other Raiders and hadn’t noticed, or at least acknowledged, their entrance yet. Olivia was about to stride up when Gage reached out and grabbed her arm. Olivia jerked it away and spun on him, her eyes narrowed.

                “What?” She exclaimed, watching as he took a half-step back, startled by her reaction. His hands went up in a half-hearted attempt at calming her.

                “Woah there I didn’t mean to scare you, just wanted to let you know a couple things before you talk to Mason.” He said, letting his hands fall to his sides again. Olivia took a deep breath.

                “You didn’t scare me, it’s just- never mind. What is it?” She said tersely.

                “It’s just I know you got a thing about respect, and that’s fine and all, but Mason, he can be…crass.” He said, searching for the right word. Olivia fought back a scoff.

                “Trust me; I’m not expecting much from him.” She said, moving to turn back around. Gage made a move to grab her again, but thought better of it.

                “Just don’t lose your cool with him.” He said shortly, obviously annoyed with how he was being dismissed. Olivia closed her eyes briefly and turned to him again.

                “Any more advice you wanna give me?” She said sarcastically. Gage eyed her and shook his head, making a theatrical gesture towards the throne. She turned on her heel and stomped towards the Pack leader.

                He was sitting on the throne, but as they approached he stood, waving a dismissive hand at the Raiders who were gathered around him. He was very tall, even a few inches taller than Gage, and build like a brick wall. He was rather tidily groomed as well, his hair perfectly coifed and his mustache held flawless curls at the ends.  He looked Olivia over as she came to a stop in front of him, and then turned to Gage.

                “Gage are you fucking kidding me right now?” He growled, completely ignoring Olivia. Gage stepped forward and cleared his throat.

                “Now Mason you saw the same damn thing I did in the Gauntlet and at the Arena. You know she has what it takes.” He started. The Pack leader snorted loudly, glancing at Olivia again before addressing Gage once more.

                “I thought you were shitting me. You can’t expect me to take this, this little girl seriously!” He said heatedly. Olivia felt her pulse quicken and the blood rush into her cheeks.

                “You should take me seriously. I took down Colter, and your little rat maze.” Olivia said, stepping up and trying to be as intimidating as one could when you were almost a foot and a half shorter than everyone around.

                “Ha! Any one of us could have taken out Colter. It was Gage here that insisted we wait for someone from the outside. And he fucking picks you.” He sneered, the words dripping from his mouth.

                “Your complaints are noted.” Olivia retorted. Mason shifted his weight from one leg to the other, deciding whether or not to address her or Gage. He picked her in the end.

                “Fine. I’m Mason. I’m the Pack Alpha. I run things in this zoo. And that’s the way it’s gonna stay, got it?” Olivia could feel Gage tense as he waited to see how she would answer him.

                “Are we gonna have a problem, Mason?” Olivia asked coolly. Mason looked like he might laugh.

                “As long as you stay out of my way and actually do what Gage says you will, no, we won’t have a _problem_.” He answered sarcastically.

                “I’m not here to ruin what you’ve got going on.” She said. Mason relaxed a little, but still held a defensive posture.

                “As long as that’s the truth then we might be alright. I just thought the new Overboss would be… different.” He said, looking from Olivia to Gage again.

                “I guess you can’t be worse than Colter.” He said, this time addressing Gage. Mason’s eyes were hard, boring holes into Gage’s good one. The men stared at each other for a long time before Olivia spoke up.

                “Something wrong?” She asked, gaining Mason’s attention once more. He smirked and crossed his arms in front of him.

                “Nah, it’s just that Gage is a big talker, you know? Word is he talked Colter into becoming Overboss in the first place. And after seeing your little confrontation in the Arena control booth…” He said, glancing back at Gage with the same smirk playing on his lips.

                “Well it looks like he talked you into it too, huh? Just seems to me he’s a man that doesn’t like getting his own hands dirty. Someone who would let another poor fuck take the fall for his shitty ideas.” He finished, his eyes stuck on Gage, waiting to see what his reaction to these words would be. Olivia let the weight of his words soak in, pondering for a moment. Then she turned, calling over her shoulder.

                “It was great to meet you Mason, really.” She called sardonically, not waiting for Gage before striding towards the exit.

                “Yeah just watch your back…” Mason called after her, with something much quieter under his breath after. Olivia thought it may have been the word “boss”.

                Or it could have been “bitch”.

 


	4. Undecided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who has left kudos and comments! I'm glad to be providing some much needed Gage love!

               Gage had left her that evening in the Fizztop Mountain apartment with a wave and a mention of being close by if she needed anything that had sounded more like a threat than a reassurance. She had stripped off her armor and thrown herself on the bed, pulling her Pip-Boy up and clicking through it absently as she thought. How was she gonna get out of this one? In the span of two days she had gone from “Hero of the Wastes” to leader of three gangs of unstable, insatiable Raiders. Every thought in her mind was contradictory, thinking of staying and escaping, thinking of going out guns blazing, taking all the Raiders she could down with her, but also thinking of the slaves in the marketplace, and how she may be their only hope at ever getting out.

                And what of her friends back in the Commonwealth? Would they come looking for her? Nick would, surely, Preston and Piper too, but how long would they wait? They probably wouldn’t make it through the Gauntlet, and if they did what then? When they saw she had been appointed “Overboss” of an assembly of people that the group of them fought so hard against? She tried not to think of what Preston would say if he saw her here, after all the work she had put in with the Minutemen to make settlements across the Commonwealth safe from people like these.

                “Damned if you do…” She whispered under her breath, turning onto her back and digging in the pocket of her jacket for the park pamphlet she had picked up earlier in the day. She looked over the parks again and sighed. For the hundredth time she ran through scenarios in her head, wondering if there was a way to free the slaves and keep the Raiders contained within Nuka-World, while being allowed to return to the Commonwealth unbothered. She would have to get the gangs trust first, this she knew. If she could get them to like her, to respect her, then when she requested the release of the slaves, (maybe actually getting real traders to come through?) they may actually listen to her without too much protest.

                It was the getting them to trust her part she wasn’t fond of. It meant that she would have to slowly move through all these other parks, systematically clearing them out of all the strange things that had moved in. Gage had told her what he knew, or at least what he had heard, but it wasn’t much. It seemed that Dry Rock Gulch and Galactic Zone _may_ have traders living there who escaped the initial takeover of Nuka-World, but he wasn’t entirely sure if that was an urban legend or not. He knew nothing about Safari Adventure or the bottling plant, and Kiddie Kingdom was probably overrun by ghouls, as even from far away you could see the green radioactive miasma that engulfed the place.

                She would have to go to each place and clear them out, giving control over to each of the gangs as she did so, hoping that the one gang that got left out (or two gangs, she hadn’t quite decided how to divvy them up yet) wouldn’t get so upset that they staged a coup. After that, Gage had explained, they would be able to turn the power back on to the whole park, lighting it up and making it a force to be reckoned with again.

                Olivia closed her eyes, tossing the map onto the ground by the bed and pinched the bridge of her nose. All of this would likely take months and by then her friends would surely have gone looking for her. She would have to get some kind of word to them that she was alright but that she would be gone for a while. But what if they didn’t take that as a good enough answer and still came? Her mind was racing at all the questions, frustrated that an answer didn’t just materialize in front of her.

                With sleep all but out of the question she sat up and pulled on her jacket and shoes, grabbing her pistol and tucking it in her pants at the small of her back. She walked to the lift and pounded the red button, sending her from the safe glow of the lantern light and into the dark summer night.

 

                It was quiet on the ground, but not completely silent. Somewhere in the distance a radio was playing, the voice of a Raider coming through garbled, telling some story she thought. Here and there she could hear the far off yell or loud conversation, but most of the sounds were dulled by the heaviness of the warm air. The sky was inky black, no moon was visible but the stars were out and she took a moment to gaze at them as she always did on nights like this. This was a sky she had never seen Pre-war. The lights from cities and towns always drowned out all but the brightest stars 200 years ago. Now though, she could see millions of stars, and even the dusty pink of the Milky Way streaking across the sky.

                “What are you looking at?” A gruff voice said, startling Olivia into a defensive position. She saw Gage’s yellow armor and relaxed, scowling at him.

                “Nothing. Why the fuck are you sneaking up on me?” She said, voice rife with irritation. Gage cocked an eyebrow at her.

                “I ain’t sneaking, for one thing. For another you’re the one who’s skulking around where I sleep.” He said, gesturing to a dirty mattress on a platform with a rickety roof and one wall. Olivia eyed it dubiously, wondering if the right hand of the Overboss slept like this, where did the other Raiders sleep? She pushed the thought from her head though.

                “Better than some places I’ve knocked out before.” He said, answering her facial expression. She quickly turned her face back to passive and cleared her throat.

                “What the hell are you doing out here anyway? Ain’t tryin’ to escape are you?” Gage asked after a moments pause. She rolled her eyes.

                “And if I was?” She asked, watching the Raider stretch his arms across his chest. He chuckled.

                “I’d have to raise the alarm. Or just kill you myself.” He said, words coming out smooth.

                “Like you could.” She said, almost to herself. Gage eyed her, but let the comment go unchallenged.

                “You are gonna have a problem though, if I can’t tell my people that I’m alive and okay here. They’ll come for me, and they aren’t pushovers either.” She said, thinking of Preston and Nick calling in MacCready, the sniper she had run with for a while out of Goodneighbor. He’d come if they told him she was missing, and he had proven time and again that his title of “Best Marksman in the Commonwealth” was not just a fancy designation. However, she knew that even if they brought everyone they still wouldn’t be a match for the sheer number of Raiders that inhabited the park. She didn’t want them to try and fail, getting hurt or killed on her account.

                “True enough.” Gage said, running a hand over his stubbled cheek, and then letting out a sigh. He waved to her to follow him and she obliged, falling into step beside him as they walked around the rest of the small pond and ducked into the shelter of a half fallen down concession stand, surrounded by gnarled burnt trees that stretched into the dark sky like ghostly guardians. There was a ham radio sitting on a broken side table inside.

                Gage flung his arm up, blocking Olivia’s entrance momentarily. His eye searched hers for a split second.

                “Don’t do anything stupid, Flynn.” He said, her last name sounding alien coming out in his odd accent. She frowned at him, the feeling of wanting to punch him rising in her again, but shook her head.

                “Uh yeah hey guys? I’m being held captive by approximately 1000 Raiders in a virtually untouchable stronghold that used to be a fucking amusement park. Please storm in here and possibly get yourselves killed trying to get me.” She mocked, holding a fake microphone to her mouth as she did so. Gage looked very much like he would enjoy punching her as well, but controlled himself, content to splinter the rotting wood of the door frame with his mammoth hands.

                “Just be fucking quick about it, smart ass.” He muttered, and Olivia turned, clicking the radio on and sighing as she heard the hiss of dead air. She tuned it to the station that Sanctuary’s recruitment beacon played on, and with a quick glance at Gage who was boring holes in her, clicked the microphone button and spoke.

                “Uh, come in? Preston? Anyone?” She called into the radio, letting the button go after she finished. There was silence for a long time before she decided to try again.

                “Sanctuary, is anyone there? It’s Olivia.” She said again, more confidently. Again she let go of the button and waited, not sure if she actually wanted anyone to answer or not. She heard Gage shift behind her and thought he was about to speak when the radio crackled to life in front of her.

                “General? Is that you?” Preston’s voice came, tinny and small, but there. Olivia let a smile turn the corners of her lips.

                “Yeah, it’s me. I’m alright. I made it to Nuka- World.” She said, keeping her voice light as to not cause alarm.

                “You did? Good, I mean, I think. You need back up? What did you find there?” He asked, and she could tell he was now fielding questions from other settlers around him, trying only to ask the most pertinent questions.

                “Nah Preston I’m okay. I found some…people here that can help me,” She said, glancing sardonically at Gage, who was watching her intently, “I’m gonna be here a while though I think.”

                “A while? You sure? We can send some Minutemen out there to help if you need-“

                “No, Preston I promise I’m fine. There’s just… a lot of ground to cover. It’s better if I do it alone though, you know? No telling what’s out here and it’s easier for one to scout it out.” She said, cutting him off before he could mention more about the Minutemen.

                “Well alright General. Check in every now and then so we know you’re alright, and let us know if there’s anything we can do.” He answered, sounding skeptical but not outright suspicious.

                “Don’t worry Preston, I will. Catch you later.” She finished, letting the button go one last time.

                “See you later General.” Came Preston’s last reply, and she clicked the radio off, turning back to Gage in the doorway.

                “General?” He asked, eyebrow raised.

                “I told you I kill most Raiders I come across. Maybe that’s because it was kind of my job.” She answered, suddenly on edge. Gage watched her for a moment, eyes shining in the dim light from a far off fire barrel.

                “Maybe we keep that our little secret.” He said.

                She couldn’t decide if it was compassion in his voice, or malice.

 

 


	5. Chasing Shadows

 

                They had decided to take Galactic Zone back first, after heated arguments over the best place to begin and whether Olivia would go by herself or not, to which Gage had emphatically (and on more than one occasion violently) demanded that he go with her. He insisted it was because he at least had a slight idea of what to expect from the rest of the park, and he didn’t want to put effort into finding a new Overboss by letting her go out and get killed right away, but she knew it was because he didn’t trust her not to leave once she was out of sight from Nuka-Town.

                They stocked up supplies in the Marketplace, with Olivia making pointed comments about the collars and the conditions for the slaves to Gage, that were all ignored. She made it a point to go around to each of them and introduce herself, promising that “things would be changing very soon”, much to the Raider’s annoyance. When they had finally gotten all that they thought they would need, they headed out, leaving the (relative) safety of Nuka-Town, and wandering down a path that lead to the next park. In the distance Olivia could see the outline of a large roller coaster, and closer, the bright metallic angles of Galactic Zone, the futuristic architecture jutting up against the midmorning sky.

                They crossed a bridge lined with bright red Nuka-Cola bottles that might have been nice to look at 200 years before, but now, with the rust and other debris surrounding them, just looked abandoned and ominous. They walked silently, guns drawn but not alert, keeping eyes peeled for any threat that may appear. It was only a short way from Nuka-Town to the entrance of the next park, but Olivia wondered if Gage had ever been out here. She knew that once Colter had taken Nuka-Town, he hadn’t made any more moves on the rest of the parks, but she wondered if that meant none of them had ever left, even to scout around the areas closest to their home base.

                She didn’t have a chance to ask, however, because as they got closer to Galactic Zone, an overwhelming stench stopped them dead in their tracks. Olivia recognized the smell as decomposing human, a smell that once you got a whiff of, you never forgot.

                Gage made a motion to some makeshift shacks that someone had built outside the entrance to Galactic Zone, just some wooden structures obviously meant to serve as guard towers of some sort. Olivia nodded and the two of them approached cautiously. The smell got stronger, threatening to turn Olivia’s breakfast into sidewalk art.

                And then they were there, three bloated and discolored corpses, their clothing splitting from the swelling of the dead flesh. Flies buzzed incessantly in the air around them, creating an odd constant hum. Gage held back, his normally tanned face turned pale at the pervasive smell. He was shifting uncomfortably back and forth on his feet, running his knuckles under his nose every once and a while.

                “They’ve been dead a while. Maybe a week or less cause it’s been warm out.” Olivia said, picking over one of the corpses carefully, not needing to look for a cause of death. They all head intense signs of bodily trauma, with limbs either detached or dangling, and laser holes blown through head and torso. Olivia found what she was looking for and kicked the hull of an Eyebot, whose casing was red with the Nuka-Cola logo emblazoned on it.

                “Looks like robots.” She said, staring at another shell, this one of a larger machine she hadn’t seen before. It looked like a walking Nuka-Cola machine mixed with a Protectron, a black screen towards the top where the glass dome usually sat. Gage had worked up the nerve to walk over to her, skirting the bodies and kneeling by the destroyed robot.

                “I got a shitload of caps that say there’s more where these came from.” He grumbled. Olivia agreed, rolling her shoulders under the weight of her armor. A glimmer of something under one of the bodies caught her eye. She made her way over to it, and with the barrel of her shotgun, pushed the slimy corpse out of the way. The skin where she pushed it broke and sloughed off, and it made a nasty squelching sound, causing bile to rise in Olivia’s throat, but she fought it back down and kicked at the object she had uncovered.

                It was the size of a textbook, rectangular but light, and covered in wires and bits that obviously plugged into something. She picked it up by the corner, wary of the detritus that still clung to it and raised an eyebrow at Gage. He shrugged, but held something out in his hand. A holotape.

                “Found it on one of the tables over there. Can it play on that fancy thing on your wrist? He said, pointing to her Pip-Boy. She nodded and, dropping the circuited object into her bag, popped it in the slot on her arm.

                It wasn’t an audio file, it was a diary log. She scrolled through, seeing it belonged to someone named Tiana. She was part of a group of traders that had holed up in Galactic Zone after the Raiders had run everyone out. The first entry was a nervous one, she was worried about going out to salvage from Galactic Zone, and it must have been before they had to hide there, because she talked of her father hauling parts back for scrap. It mentioned a place called Star Control with a mainframe, and then ended.

                The next entry was panicked, obviously made after they had to evacuate Nuka-Town and live at Galactic Zone. It made mention of “cores” that were needed to turn something on, and that they didn’t have enough of them, but someone had turned it on anyways, obviously to disastrous results. With a shudder at the last line she ejected the tape, handing it back to Gage.

                “Anything useful?” He asked, tucking the tape in one of his pockets. Olivia steeled herself, purposely not looking at the bodies on the ground.

                “Not really. I think the thing I found might be called a “core” or something though. They needed them to turn on some kind of mainframe in the park.” She said, her voice wavering. She felt the familiar anger rise up inside of her chest again and turned, facing Gage head on.

                “These people would still be alive if it weren’t for you and Colter.” She said darkly, meeting his gaze intensely. The corner of his mouth twitched in suppressed amusement.

                “So would a lot of people, Flynn. I try not to think about it. I’m alive and they ain’t. That’s just the way of it sometimes.” He said, with such detachment that Olivia was almost okay with the answer. Almost.

                “You’re a fucking dick.” She said under her breath, and steeled herself for a reaction, but she only heard a low rumble from the man, that might have been a laugh. Ignoring him and stifling her revulsion she turned towards the archway into Galactic Zone walking silently towards the wall and pressing herself to it. A quick glance around the barrier showed that the robots outside weren’t just anomalies; the park was infested with them. She could see several figures moving jerkily around, as well as catch the red lights off laser turrets attached to various points in the infrastructure.

                “This is gonna be fun.” Gage murmured from beside her, glancing over her head. Olivia hoped he was being sarcastic, but she wasn’t sure with him.

                “How do you wanna play this?” He asked to her surprise. She shrugged minutely.

                “Well I am usually a fan of the stealth approach, but who knows if that will work here.” She said. Gage nodded absently and moved into a crouch creeping across the opening to the other wall adjacent to her. She followed suit, crouching into a more stealthy position before nodding to him. They flipped out of cover at almost the exact same time and silently moved up the courtyard.

                Olivia caught movement to her right; one of the clunky Protectron-Nuka machine hybrids was hiding in an alcove. She caught it with a shotgun blast to the back, and it fell to a heap on the ground before her. Then, all hell broke loose.

 

                A laser turret sighted on her and began shooting. She barely had time to dive out of the way, feeling the heat of the shot race by her cheek as she tumbled to the ground by an upturned trashcan. She heard a shot and the shooting stopped, but now she could hear the tinny voices of more robots, alerted by the noises, coming from in front of them. In the afternoon light she could see at least 8 robots, variations of Eyebots, Protectrons, and Mister Gutsies, all with the same red and white paint job, all obviously searching for intruders. From her position she couldn’t see where Gage was, but she assumed he was on the other side of the courtyard, holed up like she was.

                An Eyebot sped within range and she took it out, shooting over the trashcan she was behind with precision. The noise began to draw the others, and she heard the report of Gage’s rifle somewhere to her left. A Mister Gutsy that had been shooting what she thought was actual Nuka-Cola from a sprayer on one of its arms, dropped from the ragtag group of robots, the metallic clang echoing off the walls of the buildings that lined the street.

                The robots were caught in an almost comical pickle now. When they heard Gage’s rifle shot, they changed direction, searching for him on the left side of the courtyard, and then when Olivia took a shot at one, they began searching for her on the right side. Using this to their advantage, they quickly culled the group to a sparking pile on the ground. With one better placed shot at a far off laser turret, they were standing in emptiness once more.

                “Holy shit that was dumb.” Gage’s voice came from behind a Nuka-Cola machine about twenty feet away from her. She could hear the mirth in his voice, and his head popped out into view. He was smiling from ear to ear. Olivia stood up and started over to him.

                “Pretty good teamwork!” He said, clapping her on the back. She shrugged out of the touch and looked around.

                “We got lucky. Lucky that we split up and lucky that robots are idiots.” She said quietly, scanning the surroundings in case any more decided to show up.

                “Luck or not, you gotta admit it was funny.” He said, trace of a smile still on his face. She sighed, letting the corners of her mouth twitch up.

                “It was pretty ridiculous, yeah. Let’s head up there. That building says Star Control over it.” She said. They moved up the courtyard, stopping to glance at a board that had a map of Galactic Zone on it. She noted several locations, Starport Nuka, which was ahead, a ride called Nuka-Galaxy, Starlight Theater, and with a twist of her gut she read “Vault Tec- Among the Stars”. Anything relating to Vaults and Vault-Tec always made her queasy as she remembered her own experience in one; being frozen for 210 years and waking up as the only survivor in Vault 111.

                She shook herself and walked with Gage up to the building that read “Star Control”. It was a circular building that rose two stories, and there was a huge glass cylinder in the center that housed the most pristine piece of X-01 Power Armor she had ever seen.

                “Well shit…” Gage said, staring at it. He circled the glass and tapped on it with the barrel of his gun. It was disappointingly solid.

                Leaving Gage to examine the tube, she walked around it, coming face to face with a wall of electronics and circuits. There was a screen at the center of it, black and empty. She gazed around and found another of the “cores” lying on a makeshift desk in front of what she assumed was the mainframe that Tiana’s log had mentioned. She noticed that the mainframe had slots covering it, matching the same size as the “core” she held in her hand. She lined it up in one of the spaces and pushed. It gave a satisfying “click” and locked into place. She did the same with the second one, wiping off some of the gore from it first. The computer screen blinked to life as she did.

                “Well I’ll be damned.” Gage said. He had come up behind her without her noticing, startling her slightly. She moved to the computer and bent over it, reading the screen. It had recognized the “cores” what she now saw were called “Star Cores”, and told her there were 2 plugged in. The next screen told her that they needed 20 for basic operations, and 35 for full functionality. She swore under her breath.

                “We need 20 of these fucking things to shut down the security bots and get basic operations back. 35 of them to have Galactic Zone back to its full potential.” She said, fingers clicking over the keyboard. She heard Gage grunt at this. He was examining all the ports on the mainframe, which had begun glowing with the insertion of the Star Cores.

                Clicking through she found logs, first from the old amusement park technicians, and then from someone named Kendall, dated only a week and some change before. She clicked it open and began to read, skimming through the first entry and then entered into the second.

                “ _Colter’s gangs took Nuka-Town. We got survivors incoming. I had the boys throw up some defenses, but they ain’t gonna last long.”_  She read. The log mentioned Tiana again, and how this man was the one who had dismissed her concerns about turning the defensive mode on. After a few months his defenses were failing and he began to panic. Tiana had held him off for a while longer, but the man lost his cool after seeing a group of Raiders that had tried to leave Nuka-Town USA, probably to scout the area out. He turned the parks defensive mode on just a week and a few days prior, despite Tiana having told him to wait, that she would gather the Star Cores to make it safe again. The last words of the entry echoed in her head as she read them: “ _What’s the worst that could happen?”_

Again, the thought crossed her mind that these people, the ones in the logs, would still be alive and well had it not been for Colter, and by default, Gage. She sighed and clicked out and back to the home screen, before standing to face Gage again.

                “Well if we clear out most of the park, we can put one of the gangs in here and have them finish the job, take out the rest of the robots and find the rest of these things.” He said, gesturing at the Star Core in the mainframe.

                “Can I trust one of the gangs to do that?” She asked skeptically. Gage grinned at that.

                “If we clear out this park and go back alive, all those fuckers will be throwing themselves at your feet. Taking back this place will show them you’re serious about being better than Colter was, and the gang you put in here will likely do whatever you tell them to. Within reason, of course.” He added hastily. Olivia sighed and looked out the large doorway, past the clear tube that held the Power Armor.

                “Let’s get moving then.” She said, and the two of them gathered their things and walked back out into the slowly setting sunlight.

 

                The park was literally infested with robots and laser turrets. They moved through quickly, falling into an easy rhythm with each other, much to Olivia’s chagrin. They had cleared the majority of the outside portions of the park, and had done the Starlight Theater and the Nuka Galaxy ride in no time, using doorways as choke points and sometimes getting in a lucky shot and taking out a robot’s combat inhibitor, causing it to go haywire and attack all its comrades. They had found several Star Cores and continued returning them to the Star Control, finding to their delight that for every five Cores they found, they could shut down an entire variation of robot. They worked their way down the list, shutting down the most difficult ones first.

 It was full dark by the time they found themselves in front of “Vault-Tec: Among the Stars”. Olivia took a deep breath as they entered, steeling herself for whatever they would find inside.

                It was dim in the building, but there was a pulsing glow emanating from the display to the right of the entrance, a huge door in the gear shape of a Vault. They had made the walls and ceiling look like stars that were whizzing by at impossible speeds. She tried to determine if it was the sight of the door of a vault or the motion on the walls that was giving her the heavy feeling in her stomach.

                “You’re from a Vault, ain’t you?” Gage asked, examining a bench with a dusty skeleton on it in the corner. She started and stared at him. He turned to her and pointed at her arm.

                “You don’t get one of those outside a Vault, right?” He said. Olivia rubbed the Pip-Boy self-consciously.

                “I really don’t wanna talk about it. C’mon. Let’s clear this place out so we can go home and sleep.” She said curtly. She felt his eyes boring into the back of her skull as they walked, creeping up the stairs and down the walkway along the disorienting walls. Gage took out a laser turret that almost sighted on her. She shook herself and tried to ignore the distraction of memory. There was a narrarator, telling a story of some imaginary colony on some far off planet that could become habitable with the help of Vault-Tec. She scowled at it.

                For a moment she thought the place might not actually be that bad. They turned the corner and took out a wandering Protectron, seeing a diorama of a desolate sun parched planet. Then the next area lit up, and Olivia’s breath caught in her throat.

                Aside from the sign that read “Arcturus 1 Welcome Home” above the entry, the room they entered looked almost exactly as the intake room of Vault 111 had. She stopped walking partway in, noting the lockers on the walls, and the control panel for opening and closing the vault door, the same control panel she had used after finding her Pip-Boy on the arm of a long dead scientist. The same one she had used to escape the place that had become a tomb for so many.

                She didn’t hear the robots enter, despite their clunky movements. It was only after Gage had dispatched them with two neatly placed shots and grabbed her arm roughly that she snapped out of her reverie.

                “What the fuck Boss?” He said, and Olivia half noted the use of the term, here spoken with more respect than it had been before. She shook her head and tried to remove herself from his grasp.

                “Don’t- Don’t call me that. I’m fine. Let go.” She said, trying to wriggle free still. He relinquished her but didn’t move from her path.

                “I don’t need you getting me killed in here cause you’re seeing ghosts.” He said, his voice less harsh than it had been, but still with a dangerous edge. Olivia frowned at him.

                “I’m not gonna get you killed. Don’t talk about things you have no idea about.” She said, skirting past him and turning the corner, walking down some stairs that led to the next room. She took out two turrets in the corners before sighting on a Mister Gutsy down in what was supposed to be a common area, complete with benches and trees.

                Gage was beside her, scanning the room for more robots before relaxing and eyeing her again. The narrator was saying something about having all the comforts of Earth and she scoffed, remembering how the Vault she had been in had never intended on giving its residents anything like this. From the little information she had found on Vault-Tec in the Commonwealth, it seemed as though they hadn’t really given any Vault all the comforts they had always advertised. It was a company built on ulterior motive.

                “Was it like this? All dark and metal everywhere?” He asked as they walked around the catwalk and into the next area, a tableau of what they touted at “spacious private suites with all the comforts of home”. She tried to ignore him, taking out another turret as he faced an Eyebot that floated in the corner of the room. When it was clear again he faced her.

                “I couldn’t imagine growing up in a Vault. Did you know the outside world was safe to live in? Or did they tell all of you that the world was dead and you were better off underground?” He prodded, not moving from her path.

                “Why do you care?” She asked, noting to herself that if he had paid any attention to the news in the Commonwealth he would know exactly what happened to her. She had done the expose for Piper while she was searching for Shaun. Most people in the Commonwealth knew her story. Obviously Gage had no time for that sort of thing. And she hated retelling the story.

                “I dunno, I just think it’s interesting, being descended from people with no radiation damage, growing up never knowing what the sun looks like. Y’know, all that” He said. She sighed.

                “I knew what the sun looked like. I know what life was like with no radiation. I know what a summer breeze rustling through leaves sounds like. And I know what lush green grass beneath my feet feels like.” She said, closing her eyes to avoid his, and also to call up these memories as she often did in quiet moments.

                “The fucks at Vault-Tec stuck me and my family in cryogenic chambers and froze us for 200 years.” She said, waiting for the reaction from Gage. He made no noise, and she cracked an eye. He was staring at her.

                “What, don’t believe me?” She asked, opening her eyes fully and meeting his eye.

                “Nah, I believe you. I was just thinking how you look damned good for being over 200 years old is all.” He said, mouth curling into a smile. Olivia grimaced at him.

                “Yeah well 237 if you’re counting. Can we go now?” She asked, already squeezing past him. He turned and followed after her. The next hall lead into the hydroponic food labs, and held two Protectrons and a Mister Gutsy. After they had been dispatched, Gage turned to her again.

                “You said you and your family were frozen?” Gage started. Olivia put up a hand.

                “No. I’m done talking about it, Gage, seriously. Want me prying into your, what I’m sure is a very storied and dramatic, past?” She asked, not waiting for an answer. She was moving quickly now, wanting to get out of the claustrophobic place. It was this haste that caused her to miss a turret. Gage was still behind her, moving slower out of annoyance of being ignored. Too late she heard it sight on her, and in an instant she felt the searing pain of a hot beam cut into her arm. She cried out, turning to aim at the turret one handed, but Gage got it first, taking it out in a smooth motion before coming up beside her.

                “It bad?” He asked, trying to get a look under Olivia’s hand that she had clapped over the burn. She lifted her palm to look herself and made a face.

                “No, just hurts like a bitch.” She replied, digging in her bag for some cloth and duct tape. Gage took them from her trembling hands and deftly bandaged the wound, handing her back the tape. Olivia willed her heartbeat to slow.

                “Thanks.” She said softly. He nodded and cleared the rest of the room, peeking into the next one and dispatching a rouge bot before returning to her. She was breathing deeply, trying to ignore the pain in her arm and get herself back under control.

                “You’re gonna get me killed.” He said under his breath. She glowered at him and picked her gun back up.

                “Let’s just get the fuck out of here please.” She said, turning to go.


	6. Atom Bomb Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay now we're getting to the good stuff. This is a short chapter, but I think you'll forgive me for it.

               Olivia had decided to leave the rest of Galactic Zone to whatever gang she decided to assign to it. The majority of the park was empty, with the robots either dispatched or shut down via the mainframe. It was late, well past midnight as they walked past the bodies again, too weary to notice the smell much anymore. There weren’t any Raiders out on their walk back, leaving them to quietly make their way to the Fizztop apartment, each lost in thought. Gage had followed her up, pouring himself a drink from the bar and sitting on one of the rusted stools.

                Olivia had stripped off her armor and over shirt, cleaning the wound on her arm as Gage looked on. It was angry and red, but not deep.  She rebandaged it and sat next to the hulking Raider.

                “What is gonna happen to their bodies?” She asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had followed them since leaving Galactic Zone. Gage downed the rest of the amber liquid in his cup and shrugged.

                “Of the Traders? Probably just left there, or dragged away so that they ain’t bothered by the smell. If you put the Pack in there who knows what they’ll do with them.” He said, watching her with his bloodshot eye. She turned to face him fully.

                “I want them buried.” She said shortly. He scoffed at her. She shot him a dangerous look and he stood.

                “No, why? You don’t even know them, they’re dead Boss. Let it go.” He said. She bristled at the term.

                “You fucks are the reason they’re dead. The least you can do is give them a proper burial!” She retorted, voice rising. Gage stepped closer, obviously trying to use his height to intimidate her. It wasn’t working.

                “Look Flynn, we ain’t the reason they’re dead, they are. They were weak and we weren’t, get it? That’s how it works out here, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He said, his voice low and gravelly. Olivia laughed humorlessly.

                “What a shitty world view you have. Is that why you have the slaves too? Cause they were too weak to fight back so you force them to-“

                “Quit bringing up the fucking slaves for fuck’s sake!” He exclaimed, voice rising. Olivia watched for any sign of him reaching for his knife, but he just stood there, inches from her, staring down at her.

                “I’ll quit bringing them up when-“ She started.

                “When what? When you get all these fucking Raiders to let them go out of the _kindness_ of their goddamned hearts? Wake up Flynn; you ain’t with the Minutemen anymore! You’re with a bunch of fucks that truly don’t care about anybody but themselves, caps, and their chems. If you’re gonna be a leader here you need to-“ Now it was her turn to cut him off.

                “I never wanted to lead a bunch of Raiders! And if you’re gonna make me do it then you’re gonna deal with who I am, Gage!” She yelled, finding herself toe to toe with the much larger man.

                It was very sudden. So sudden she didn’t have time to react. Gage’s mouth was suddenly on hers, rough and hard. His hands grasped her upper arms, squeezing tight. There was no passion in the kiss, only anger. When he leaned back, she stared at him wondering if she should hit him. She was in the middle of raising her hand when he grabbed it and kissed her again. This time, she bit him, tasting blood. He didn’t pull back though. Neither did she.

                His hand went to her neck, lightly squeezing as though testing if she would allow it. They parted once more and she felt anger rise up in her chest again. She felt it flush her cheeks and prickle her skin. His hand was still grasping her neck when they both started moving, her reaching for the buckle of his belt, him pushing his hand up inside her shirt. She felt him cup her chest, his hand rough on her skin. She let out a growl, getting his belt undone and then working on the fly of his pants. His hand traveled from her neck down, ignoring the clasp of her black jeans and instead trying to push them down over her hips.

                They didn’t speak, fueled by anger and a need to get at each other, but not being able to kill or maim one another. She had Gage’s pants undone now and they fell around his ankles, releasing him into the warm night air. His cock stood hard and ready, and she gave the long shaft a rough stroke, causing a choking noise to come from the Raider.

                Gage had made short work of her pants as well, and clumsily moved her to the desk in front of the Power Armor station. He knocked all the junk and papers to the floor and tossed her onto it, thumb going to her clit automatically. He pushed two fingers into her abruptly, causing her to gasp. He only gave two rough pumps before pulling out the digits and replacing them with the head of his cock. He pushed into her suddenly, violently and she gasped and bit down on the nape of his neck, hard. She wasn’t nearly ready for him, but he didn’t care, and honestly she didn’t either. Her hands raked down the flesh of his forearms, not being able to reach anything else as he still wore his heavy yellow armor.

                He thrusted wildly, taking out all the rage he had built up over the past three days out on her now wet cunt. Olivia gasped and let out hoarse moans, cursing herself for feeling so good, taking her frustrations out on the man’s bared flesh in bites and scratches. The smell of sweat, gunpowder, and lust permeated the air between them.

                He was deep inside her, hitting all the right spots with his thrusts, one of his hands on the desk for balance, the other toying with her neck, as though he would love nothing more than to choke her as he pounded into her. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and she could feel the hot gasps of his breath, tinged with alcohol. The metal of his armor was scraping against her chest, blocked only by the thin undershirt that was hiked up around her breasts.

                A heat was beginning to build inside Olivia, something she hadn’t felt in over 200 years. She could tell he was getting close as well, his thrusts were getting more erratic and his breath came in ragged pants. She ground her hips into his, urging him on with a primal instinct that was not entirely her own. He was relentless, even as she finally tipped over the edge, trying to stifle the cry that ripped from her throat as her body shuddered and pulsed under him. She bit into his shoulder once more and rode out her climax, tasting a mixture of blood and sweat.

                Gage pumped violently three times, and then shuddered. The hand on Olivia’s neck twitched, and she held her breath, but he didn’t tighten his grip. Instead he pulled out of her, releasing himself onto her bared stomach.

                He stayed leaned over her, not looking at her for a long time. Olivia still felt the heat of her anger inside her, though now it was dulled by residual waves of pleasure. Finally he stood up, and she pushed herself up on her elbows.

               “Get out.” She said, her voice wavering with either rage or left over desire, she couldn’t be sure. Without a word he bent and picked up his pants, buckling the belt around himself once more. Olivia stood, wiping her stomach with her discarded over shirt, and then slamming chairs out of her way as she searched for her pants. Gage grabbed his weapon, tossing the strap over his shoulder. He turned towards the lift and began walking towards it. Suddenly he faced her again, good eye meeting Olivia’s. She could see the anger was beginning to fade from his flushed face.

                “I’ll make sure the traders are buried.” He said, then stepped onto the lift and was gone.


	7. Worry, Worry, Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you all liked the last chapter, got a lot of "wow's" in the comments, I hope they were good wow's!

               Olivia woke the next morning, feeling like she had gone toe to toe with an angry Yao Guai. She rolled over and saw the desk, still empty with all the papers and junk strewn about the floor and suddenly remembered that essentially she had gone toe to toe with an angry Yao Guai, only it was really a large Raider named Gage.

                She groaned and rubbed her face with both her hands. She had heard the term “hate fuck” before but didn’t actually think people did it. The memory of the night before was seared in her brain, pleasure colored by the heat of fury. Working with the man now was going to be all but impossible.

                The sun was well up as she dressed, and, skipping breakfast in lieu of a half empty box of Dandy Boy Apples, she headed down the lift. She knew she would probably have to seek Gage out, and braced herself for the awkwardness that would probably follow them through the day. She found him in his small shack, his rifle in pieces on the floor. He had a cloth in one of his hands and was cleaning it. She noticed he didn’t wear the chest piece. Even without it he was broad, the muscles of his shoulders and chest taut beneath the stained tank top he wore. She could see the angry red welts across his forearms that she had left the night before, along with a couple bite marks on his neck. She made a point not to look at them.

                Olivia leaned against one of the posts that held up the ramshackle roof over them. Gage didn’t look up at her, but she knew he noticed her; his posture stiffened almost unperceptively.

                “Hell of a night, huh?” He finally said, sliding a few pieces of his gun into their proper alignments. Olivia narrowed her eyes at him.

                “Let’s just forget it happened, alright?” She said quietly, watching his fingers work. He nodded slowly.

                “Fine with me.” He said, still not looking at her. It was quiet for a few more moments, the air tense around them. Somewhere in the distance a radio was playing, the man with the horrible sounding guitar (who she now knew was called “Red-Eye”), was strumming away. Gage cleared his throat and gestured to the side of the shack. Olivia saw what he was pointing at; a grimy shovel. She raised an eyebrow at him.

                “The Overboss gets what she wants.” He said in sarcastic response to her look. She fought the urge to scowl at him, instead forcing a smile.

                “Thanks Gage. Means a lot.” She said. He finally looked up at her, his eye meeting hers quizzically, as though he wasn’t used to being thanked.

                “Well, yeah, whatever. I still don’t see the point. Anyways now you got a decision to make.” He said, placing the final components of his rifle back in order and testing the sight, pointing it a little close to Olivia’s head for her comfort. She sidestepped it and crossed her arms.

                “Any suggestions on who I should pick?” She said hopefully. Gage laughed and shook his head.

                “Oh hell no. This is your deal. You’re the Overboss, not me. It’s your choice who goes in there, and it’s your consequences you’ll have to deal with.” He said, rather harshly. Olivia rolled her eyes.

                “Fine. What about the Operators?” She asked, watching as he got up and began pulling on his yellow chest piece. She saw that it must have been quite heavy with how he handled it when he picked it up.

                “What about them? Is that a question or a statement, Boss?” He asked, turning to her again. His face was steel, not giving any hint as to what he thought about this choice. Olivia sighed.

                “I guess I choose the Operators, okay?” She said impatiently. Gage nodded deliberately, and then bent to pick up his weapon, slinging it over his back.

                “Let’s go give them the good news then.” He said, brushing past her as he exited the shack.

 

 

                The Parlor was bustling with activity as they entered, it seemed that some of the Raiders had just come back from a job in the Commonwealth and had been successful. It was smoky and loud, with people shouting over each other to be heard. When the Raiders saw her, they stepped out of the way, but kept up the reveling for the most part. They finally found Mags and William in the corner of one room, surrounded by several Operators in jovial discussion. As they approached, Mags shooed them away and assumed her usual cool countenance.

                “Overboss and Gage, what a nice surprise on this fortunate day.” She said, and Olivia couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

                “Good haul?” Gage asked her. A dazzling smile spread across her face, unnerving Olivia.

                “Very good.” William spoke from behind her. Gage nodded and glanced at Olivia, then back to the two Operator leaders, urging her on.

                “Well it’s about to get better.” Olivia said. The two turned their gaze to her expectantly.

                “We took back Galactic Zone. I’m putting it in Operator control.” Mags and William’s faces both lit up in an identical show of both surprise and excitement.

                “You’re shitting me.” Mags said breathlessly. She turned to face her brother.

                “You’re telling me you’ve been here less than a week and already accomplished more than Colter did in almost an entire year?” William said to her, stepping up beside his sister. Olivia nodded.

                “I was there, I saw it. It’s the truth.” Gage said coolly.

                “I told you I would accomplish what Coulter couldn’t, didn’t I?” Olivia said, assuming the slightly cocky attitude she got when addressing the leaders of the factions. It didn’t feel like her words, but she knew she had to put up a front for these kinds of people; make them think she was one of them. Mags nodded, astonished.

                “There are terms though. The Operators have to finish clearing out the park, and gather these.” She said, pulling out a Star Core from her bag and handing it to William. He took it and turned it over in his hands, examining it.

                “There should be about 17 left to find in the park. They’re important to get it back to full functionality again.” She said, answering their questioning looks. The siblings nodded, almost in sync.

                “But it’s ours, right?” Mags said, tearing her eyes from the circuitry her brother held. Olivia nodded and watched the smile spread across the blonde woman’s face again. She stepped forward into the room, past Olivia.

                “Hey you lot!” She hollered into the building. The din quickly calmed down and Raiders turned to her and began appearing in doorways, listening to what their leader had to say. She waited for the movements to stop before continuing.

                “We all know Colter was an ass, always promising shit and never delivering.” She said, no longer yelling, but speaking loud enough to be heard. There were murmurs of assent from the crowd, and a couple “fuck Colter!”s yelled.

                “Now it seems we have an Overboss that can actually get shit done! Give it up for the new Overboss, who took back Galactic Zone, and has given it to the Operators to run!” She exclaimed. There was a moment of silence as the words sunk in, then the room erupted into applause and shouts, with Operators running up to pat Olivia on the back or shake her hand. Gage was watching her as she awkwardly accepted the accolades from the Operator Raiders. Eventually the commotion died down to William gathering a large group of them to head over to the new territory. With a final nod to Mags, Olivia turned to leave, Gage trailing behind her.

                “That went well.” She said to Gage as they turned the corner to head back up towards Fizztop. He grunted in agreement.

                “Yeah, just wait til the other groups hear about it though. They’re gonna expect you to work just as quickly to get them their due, and they ain’t gonna be happy you didn’t pick them first.” He said, effectively raining on Olivia’s parade. She frowned.

                “Well I wasn’t expecting to just sit around and then _maybe_ decide to clear out the next park. We can resupply and leave tomorrow.” She said, the last of the adrenaline from the meeting with the Operators fading from her blood.

                “What’s next? Dry Rock Gulch?” She asked. Gage pulled out his ratty map and nodded.

                “I mean if you want to go in a circle. We can clear any of the parks next if you wanted.” He said, showing her the worn paper.

                “Well it just makes sense not to hop all over the place, plus you said that place might have some traders left living there, right? Maybe we can talk them into leaving or something.” She said hopefully. Gage snorted. Olivia turned a sharp gaze on him.

                “I thought there were traders in Galactic Zone, and remember how that went? Plus if they ain’t left yet they probably aren’t gonna be too inclined to leave just cause you asked nicely.” He said, his last words edged with sarcasm.

                “Well technically there _were_ traders in Galactic Zone; we just missed them by a week or so. So it stands to reason that there may still be traders in Dry Rock, right?” She said to him. He shrugged in reply.

                “Guess we’ll see.” She said under her breath.

 

                True to form, word spread like lightning through the park about Olivia and Gage’s triumph at Galactic Zone. They had just finished picking up supplies at the Marketplace, and were about to part ways when a group of masked Raiders approached them, sending Gage into automatic defense mode. Olivia tensed as well, seeing Nisha materialize out of the group. A slight shiver ran down her spine at the sight of the masked woman.

                “I hear congratulations are in order.” She purred, stopping in front of Olivia. The Disciples around her formed a menacing half circle around them, cutting them off from escape. Nisha wasn’t putting off a threatening air, however, and Olivia thought that it might just be the way they normally operated when walking anywhere with their leader.

                “I said I would do it, didn’t I?” Olivia said cautiously, eyeing the woman. She hated the mask and how it obscured her face, not allowing any glimpse into what she may be thinking.

                “That you did. The fact you did it so quickly puts you heads above that idiot Colter.” Nisha replied coolly. Olivia could feel Gage beside her, tensed and ready for anything. She took a deep breath, but Nisha continued speaking.

                “It’s a shame you put those assholes that care more about their hair than the glory of battle in charge of that park. The Disciples could have been a real asset there.” She said, sliding ice into her voice. Olivia shifted her weight and squared her shoulders.

                “I take back an entire park in one day, faster than any of you could have hoped without me, and now you’re questioning my choice of what gang to put where? Who are you to say I don’t have a plan for you and your Disciples, Nisha?” Olivia answered, eyes boring holes in the mask the woman wore. Nisha was silent for a while, her posture shrinking slightly was the only sign the Raider had heard what she said.

                “My apologies, Overboss. We’ll let you get back to it then. Just don’t forget about us.” She said, and Olivia thought she detected real remorse in her voice, though it was so saturated with cynicism she couldn’t tell. Nisha waved a hand at the group around her and they turned, retreating back towards their lair at the foot of Fizztop. Olivia stayed tensed until she could no longer see them, then relaxed, letting out a long breath as she began walking again.

                “Damn. I’ve never heard Nisha apologize to anyone before.” Gage said after a while.

                “So you think it was a sincere apology?” Olivia asked, slowing to walk beside the man. He grunted.

                “I think so. I think she doesn’t know what to think of you now. She may be reevaluating whether or not she wants to be your ally now that she’s seen you ain’t just some Commonwealth fucker.” He said quietly. He hadn’t been his normal annoying self today, Olivia noted. Though after the previous night, she couldn’t blame him for being awkward. She had too much to think about to relive it though.

                “Think we’ll get the same visit from Mason?” She asked as they reached the lift. It was only late afternoon, but they had decided to leave before sunrise the next morning, as Dry Rock Gulch was a bit farther away than Galactic Zone had been, and they didn’t want to waste any time.

                “I doubt it. He’s not the type for non-violent confrontation. He will probably just wait to see what happens with the next few parks, now that he’s heard that you’re serious.” Gage answered, stopping as Olivia climbed up onto the makeshift elevator. She thought that he might come up and have a drink as he had before, but then thinking about it realized he probably thought that was a bad idea.

                “Yeah well. Dry Rock Gulch tomorrow then.” She said, hitting the button, feeling the vibration as the lift started into motion.

                “See you tomorrow, Flynn.” He said in a low voice, turning and walking away before she was out of sight.


	8. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

 

 

                Something was chasing her.

                She was running, her feet flying beneath her as fast as she could make them go. She vaguely realized that trees and leaves were brushing her face as she ran, and she could smell the sweet scent of freshly cut grass coming from somewhere nearby, but those sensations were dulled by the knowledge that something, no, _someone_ was chasing her.

                She was running through misty woods, trying not to fall over rotted logs or trip in depressions in the earth. Her breath came in harsh puffs as she sprinted, her chest ached, screaming at her to stop and catch her breath but she couldn’t. She couldn’t let him catch her.

                A baby’s cry met her ears suddenly and she recognized it as Shaun’s cry. It was coming from behind her, where the man was. She stopped running, her heart slamming in her chest, the urge to go back and comfort her son overpowering the fear she felt from being chased.

                “Shaun?” She called into the mist, and his cry came again, louder now as though someone was hurting him. She heard footsteps running towards her.

                “OLIVIA COME GET YOUR FUCKING KID!” A voice yelled from the forest. A voice she recognized. She flinched and made to start running away again, bare feet digging into the leaf mold on the ground and then-

                She woke with a scream, her arm reaching under her pillow for the knife she had put there, drawing it around on… Gage.

                “Woah Boss, It’s just me.” He said, his hands up. She shivered in the cold sweat that sprung out across her body. It was still dark outside, but she could sense the coming morning.

                “Don’t- don’t call me that.” She panted, putting the knife away and shaking herself. Gage was still staring at her, his eye squinting in the dim light from a low lantern on the table.

                “You alright?” He asked, and Olivia laughed without humor.

                “Peachy. Just a nightmare. Time to go?” She asked, and he backed away from her as she got up, adrenaline fading. Her chest still ached.

                “Uh, yeah. I figure it’s a good time now. Got about an hour before sunrise, enough time to gather our shit and get up there.” He said, back turned to her as she dressed. She thought this was oddly polite of him, as he hadn’t turned away any of the other times she had dressed in front of him, but chalked it up to residual awkwardness from their encounter after clearing the first park.

 

                As they exited Nuka-Town, Olivia could see fires burning in Galactic Zone, and noticed a huge flag flying near the entrance of the park. It was the symbol she had seen in the Operator headquarters. She also noted three fresh graves along the wall of the park.

                “They work quickly.” She remarked as they walked out of the dim light the fires from Galactic Zone had made and back into the dark of the early morning. Gage grunted in question and Olivia pointed at the flag behind them.

                “Oh, yeah. Well they have to, or else someone might get in there before them. Not to mention the cramped quarters everyone’s been living in for the past year. Everyone is itching to get out of that place.” He said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at Nuka-Town. Olivia nodded. They were silent again as they continued walking, passing piles of garbage and taking out the occasional mutated cricket. Dry Rock Gulch was coming into view when Gage suddenly spoke again.

                “Flynn, I got a question for you.” He said, matter-of-factly. Olivia braced herself, wondering what in hell he could ask her that he would phrase like that.

                “Hmm?” She said, not trusting herself with words just yet. He cleared his throat.

                “How does a Pre-War broad wake up after 200 years and know how to handle herself in a fight like you can?” He asked. She sighed.

                “Don’t call me a broad. And I know how because it was my job, y’know, before.” She said softly. Gage turned his eye on her, questioning.

                “Your job? You mean you had a job where you had to go out and kill people and shit?” His eyebrows were raised at her. She almost laughed.

                “Sort of? I was in the military. I had gone to school to be a lawyer; someone that upholds the laws of the land and sees that bad people get punished and good people don’t get the shit end of things-,” she explained, seeing his confusion at the term, “-and when I got out I decided to join up. Only they didn’t need lawyers at the time. My combat scores were high though, so they offered me a covert operations job.”

                “Covert Operations? Like sneaky shit?” He asked. At this Olivia did laugh.

                “Yeah, kinda. I was tasked with going to other countries to try to “eliminate” foreign enemies before they became too much of a problem. My cover was that I was a lawyer practicing International Law, in case I got caught. I had the degree and everything to prove it.” She said, her voice soft with remembering. Gage was silent, letting her go on.

                “I guess you could say my job was to “kill people and shit” but I liked to think it was just keeping other people safe, instead. Fuck load of good it did though.” She said, gesturing to the wastes around them. Gage chuckled.

                “From what I gathered, this was bound to happen, whether you did your job or not.” He said, and Olivia was surprised to hear a note of compassion in his voice.

                “You’re probably right. Actually you are totally right. With some of the things I saw before the bombs fell, it was surprising it took as long as it did to end up here.” She said quietly. They had arrived at the entrance of Dry Rock Gulch, a huge archway lined with long dead neon. It was still dark, but they could see a large plywood sheet had been propped up against some cinderblocks. There was lettering on it, but it was too dark to make out. Olivia pulled her wrist up and clicked a button, allowing an ethereal green light to spread over the area.

                “Danger! Bloodworms!” The sign read, in what disturbingly looked like blood. Olivia shivered, and then turned the light off once more.

                “What the fuck is a bloodworm?” Gage asked, pulling his rifle over his shoulder and nestling it in the crook of his arm. Olivia shook her head.

                “Fuck if I know. My guess is they aren’t friendly though.” She replied. Gage shot her a sarcastic look and she shrugged.

                “Well, let’s go find out then.” He said, stepping past the sign.

               It didn’t take long for one to make an appearance. Very suddenly the ground began vibrating under them. Olivia swung her shotgun up and began scanning the area, but she saw nothing. The ground tremored violently again, this time for longer. Her heart was racing and she looked to Gage who was pointing his weapon at the ground, searching for the source. Another vibration came, this time so vicious that dust began to float up around them. There was a cracking noise, and then suddenly Gage was down, something having come up from under him, knocking him off his feet.

                Olivia was to him in a second and she saw what had done it; a long segmented body with huge spikes writhed on the ground beside the Raider. It was at least 4 feet long and dark, maybe black but she couldn’t tell in the pre-dawn light. It was wriggling manically, its head, if that was its head, was snapping at Gage, it had four pincer like appendages that encircled a dangerous looking dripping maw. Gage was sliding backwards, kicking at the creature as it tried to clamp down on his leg.

                Olivia took two steps forward and straddled the thing, aiming her shotgun down and loosing the shot just behind the pincers, causing slimy pieces of carapace to shower around them. The body slithered for a moment, and then relaxed into deadness. She reached out a hand automatically to Gage, who took it and levered himself back to his feet, dusting himself off as he stood.

                “Shit. So that’s a bloodworm.” He said, kicking the body before him. He looked at her, his face flushed with adrenaline.

                “I can’t stand bugs.” He grimaced at the creature before them. Olivia smiled.

                “Easy enough, just watch for the dust clouds.” She said with fake lightness in her voice. Her tone worked and the tenseness of the moment passed.

                “I already hate this place.” Gage said as they began into the park, passing a wall of fake buildings made to look like an old western town. Turning the corner they were greeted by a Protectron in a cowboy hat. The two exchanged looks before walking up to it.

                “Hope y’all are having a good day here at Nuka-World! Ready to saddle up and ride into the old wild west?” The robot said in a halting metallic voice. Olivia let out a choked giggle at it and looked to Gage. He was disinterested in the robot and turned, scanning the area around them.

                “Uh, sure, but this area is infested with bloodworms. It’s not safe.” She said to the faceless robot. She could hear its internal motors whirring.

                “You must mean the no good outlaws coming out of Mad Mulligan’s Mine! Well partner, if you’re interested in lending a hand, I could use a new deputy. What do you say?” The robot droned on.

                “Oh Jesus Christ.” She said under her breath. The robot waited expectantly for her answer.

                “Sure?” She answered, feeling idiotic. Gage glanced at her, his eyebrow cocked. She suddenly felt stupider.

                “The door to Mad Mulligan’s Mine is locked up! I got a spare key in a safe by the theater, but wouldn’t you know it, I plum forgot what the combination to the safe was!” It went on. Olivia was getting impatient. So was Gage.

                “You’ll need to talk to my three amigos: Doc Phosphate, One-eyed Ike, and the Giddyup Kid. Prove to them you’re tough enough to take on the outlaws and they’ll give you their parts of the combination!” It finished. Olivia ignored the rest of what it was saying and walked up to Gage, who was bent over in front of a crashed roller coaster car. He was shaking, and for a moment Olivia was nervous, before she noticed he was shaking with laughter.

                “What is it?” She asked, a smile coming automatically to her face when she saw how hard he was laughing. His arm went up, pointing to something in the mine car. In the dusty morning light she saw what he was gesturing at; a skeleton still sat in one of the cars, its arms held above its head as if it was still riding the coaster in rampant exultation. Olivia let the smile turn into a laugh as she realized the sheer ridiculousness of it. The two of them stood there, doubled over with laughter, gripping each other’s arms for stability. Every time she thought they were getting themselves together, they would look at the macabre tableau in front of them and begin again.

                “That’s- that’s the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my whole damn life.” Gage finally said, wiping a hand under his uncovered eye. Olivia straightened up, stretching the muscles in her stomach that had cramped from laughing so much.

                “This place is a trip.” She said, stepping past the crashed coaster with a final giggle. Gage followed her, every now and then snickering in suppressed amusement.

                “So what, we gotta meet three other robots and get them to give us some key for a safe?” Gage said quietly. The two had started moving slowly, eyes on the ground, once more watching for any signs of bloodworms.

                “Yeah it’s a key or a combination or something. I don’t know. We just need the key to get into Mad Mulligan’s Mine. Maybe the traders holed up in there after the bloodworms came.” She said optimistically.

                “What is it with you and the traders, Flynn?” Gage asked. Olivia shrugged his tone off.

                “I just like thinking we might be able to help someone.” She said. Gage stopped and stared at her for a moment, before continuing his slow trek up the dirt road.

                “You are something else, Boss.” He said under his breath. Olivia sighed.

                “Sorry, habit.” He said, noticing her distaste at his use of the term. She gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

                They only met one bloodworm on the way to the next robot. This one was much smaller and was yellow in color, but went down easy enough. They approached the Protectron, which wore a ridiculous leather vest, carefully.

                “Howdy Partner! You must be the new deputy around these-“ It started, but didn’t get a chance to finish as its head was blown into a shower of shrapnel and sparks.

                “What the fuck!” Olivia yelled, stepping back quickly and bringing her combat shotgun up to scan the area. It was just Gage, however, standing a couple feet away with his rifle raised, a triumphant look on his face. Olivia stared at him, dumbfounded.

                “What? I couldn’t listen to another one of those fucking things talk for another hour!” He said exaggeratedly. Olivia kept staring at him, mouth open, not believing he had just done it.

                “We need the key, Gage! How are we supposed to get it now!?” She asked, speaking slowly at the man. He stomped over, leaning down and patting all over the robots body. Olivia ran a hand through her close cut hair, looking around as though wishing someone else could have been privy to the ridiculousness that her life had become.

                “Here.” Gage suddenly said, thrusting something up at her. It was a scrap of paper with a number written on it, labeled “Safe Combo #1”. She scowled at him and thrust it into her pocket.

                “You got lucky. You could have screwed us over!” She said, but he just smiled at her, turning to continue down the dirt road.

                They spent the next couple hours clearing bloodworms from the park and exploring. They discovered a couple holotapes detailing the lives of some rather disgruntled park employees, as well as a couple stashes of ammo. There was also an insane amount of a drink called “Nuka-Cola: Wild”, a root beer variant of the popular soft drink. They decided to leave these where they were.

                They had found the last two robots, and using Gage’s method of quick collection, had gotten the last two combination codes. They had decided to stop for lunch, then head back to the front of the park and get the key from the safe. The two were sitting, leaned against a building in the shade, they had a couple bottles of purified water out, and Olivia was crunching on some potato chips. Gage had some squirrel bits on a stick that Olivia had politely passed on when offered. They ate in relative silence, observing the park around them and lost in their own thoughts. Gage finished eating and wiped his hands on his pants, then spoke.

                “Look, Flynn… the whole thing with Colter, I mean I know we talked about it some, but I don’t want it to turn into a sore spot between us, you know?” He said, voice gravelly. Olivia took a swig of water before replying, thinking that Colter wasn’t the only thing that was creating a “sore spot” between them.

                “What do you mean?” She asked.

                “I mean I turned on the Overboss, right? Who’s to say I wouldn’t do it again, given the chance?”

                “Would you?” She asked dangerously. Gage eyed her through a squinted lid.

                “No, I mean, Colter was a piece of shit. The worst. I ain’t lied to you about that, and I’m sure you got the same impression from everyone else in Nuka-Town. But really, that was all on me. I was the one who talked him into becoming Overboss.” He said, words spilling out quickly now.

                “So what Mason said was true then?” The Raider nodded.

                “If he was such an ass, why did you help him in the first place?” Gage sighed, running a hand over his mohawked head.

                “Well if I’d have known he was gonna be that bad, I wouldn’t have. But back then I thought he was what this whole operation needed, y’know? Big, strong, didn’t take anyone’s shit.” He said, watching for Olivia’s reactions to his words. She listened intently.

                “He was someone the gang’s would all respect, as well as someone that I could use all my years of experience with to help run things. But the fucker was stubborn. He let shit go to his head. Ain’t the first time I’ve seen it, but he was one of the worst.” Olivia held up a hand at this.

                “Wait, you’re saying you’ve done this before?” She asked incredulous. He wiggled his head in a non-committal gesture.

                “Not exactly. This Nuka-World deal is the biggest thing I’ve ever been a part of. But you see, I’ve learned over the years that being the boss means having the biggest target on your back.” He said. Olivia snorted.

                “Oh, thanks.” She said. Gage ignored her.

                “When you’re leading the kinda groups I run with, there’s always someone gunning for you, see? I don’t want the target on me, but if I can be right behind the guy in charge, then I can use my expertise to guide him to do what benefits me, and usually everyone else.” He said.

                “Is that what you’re doing with me?” She asked, with no particular tone to her voice.

                “No, see that’s the thing. You ain’t like Colter. Hell you ain’t like any Raider I’ve ever run with before.” He said lamely.

                “That would be because I’m not-“

                “Yeah yeah not a Raider, I get it, Flynn. But despite that, you’ve been a pretty good Overboss so far.” He said, finishing quietly.

                “Yeah well I’ve only been Overboss a couple days. Let’s wait and see what happens before you go all soft on me.” She said. Gage chuckled, pushing himself up from the dirt and offering Olivia a hand. She took it and stood beside him, readjusting her weapon and backpack.

                “Whatever you say…Boss.” He said, smiling as she glared at him.  

                “Let’s head back up front and get that key. I’m tired of everything looking like I’m in an old western movie.” She said, ignoring Gage’s questioning look.

                The trek back to the front of the park was uneventful, but as they got there, they noticed in the distance a great black cloud, full of green lightning streaking about. Olivia grimaced.

                “Better finish this quick. Don’t wanna be stuck out in that.” Gage said, pointing with the tip of his rifle at the incoming radiation storm. Olivia nodded and they picked up the pace.

                The safe was in a shack out in the back of an outdoor theater, where Pre-war, it looked like Wild West shows took place. The small stadium was now home to a nest of flying ants. With a nod to each other they stepped forward, taking aim at the large flying insects. They were everywhere, swarming at Olivia’s face as she swatted and fought to keep control. It was more annoying than anything. That was when she felt the familiar tremor beneath her feet.

                “Bloodworms!” Gage yelled from across the amphitheater. Olivia swatted at a couple more ants, taking two down with a well-placed shot from her gun. She felt another vibration and braced as the ground beneath her broke, one of the snake like creatures launching up from under her, knocking her to the ground. She landed awkwardly, her shotgun underneath her and fought to flip over.

                “Flynn!” She heard Gage call, but he was still swarmed by ants, batting them away and shooting the ones he could.

                The bloodworm was writhing towards Olivia as another swarm of ants flew at her face. She swiped at them as she tried to push herself to her feet, but the bloodworm kept tripping her up. She kicked at it, trying to avoid it’s pincers that were fighting to get a grip on her. She heard Gage’s gun go off, and made the mistake of looking for him, only for a split second, but that was all it took.

                “Fuck!” She cried as the bloodworm’s pincers wrenched down on her calf. She felt the inner workings of its mouth grinding the flesh away and fought back a scream, whipping her shotgun down, no longer caring about the ants diving at her face. She loosed shot after shot into the creature until at last she felt it release her leg. The ants were momentarily driven away by the noise of her gun, and she took the moment to fire at their swarm, taking a few of them down. She could feel blood oozing from the bite on her leg, but noted detachedly that it didn’t hurt that badly.

                “Gage!” She called, finally getting to her feet. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, her pulse slamming in her ears. She shot at a group of two remaining ants and worked her way over to where Gage was. He had abandoned firing on the ants and was swinging his rifle like a bat, sending the ant’s broken bodies all over the stadium. He crunched the last one under a heavy boot and stood panting.

                “You alright?” He said, turning to face her, seeing her limp. He wiped the back of his hand against his head, flinging away sweat. The rad storm rumbled ominously in the distance.

                “I think so. The fucking thing bit me, but it doesn’t hurt much. Not even a lot of blood.” She said, gesturing to the wound on her leg. There was a trickle of blood coming from it, but not even enough to soak through her now ripped jeans. Gage looked from it to her face and nodded.

                “You still look paler than a ghoul on jet. Let’s go get that fucking key and hurry this shit up.” He said, glancing at the sky. She nodded, feeling the adrenaline fading from her body. Her finger twitched, and she shook her hand. Gage was heading up to the porch of the open house, scanning for any more enemies. Olivia started following him, but tripped. She tried again, this time stumbling completely. Her legs were beginning to go numb. Panic raced through her, and her hand twitched again, this time not stopping when she shook it.

                “G-Gage!” She called, falling to her knees. His face appeared in the doorway, concerned by the tone in her voice.

                “Flynn, what the hell?” He asked, watching her momentarily. Olivia raised her twitching hand towards the body of the bloodworm.

                “V-venomous. I-I c-can’t…” She stuttered, and then lost the ability to speak.


	9. Personality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the space between updates, I've been busy at work!

                 Gage was in front of her quickly, hand on her shoulder. Her arms were jerking violently now, and she couldn’t feel either of her legs anymore.

                “Hang on Boss.” Gage said, swinging his rifle over his shoulder. He laced an arm underneath hers and tried to lift her to her feet. She tried unsuccessfully to gain purchase on the ground beneath her, but her feet scrabbled uselessly on the dirt. Gage grunted and lowered her to the ground again.

                “Fuck.” He murmured under his breath before kneeling in front of her and scooping her up, easily holding her as he brought her into the dilapidated shed. He placed her on the floor by some lockers, propped up against the wall. Gage went to the door and closed it, fiddling with the rusted latch. Then he was back in front of her looking at the wound on her leg. It still didn’t look bad, but she couldn’t feel it at all now. He pulled out a bottle of purified water from her pack and poured it over her calf. He dug in the bag again and drew out a stimpak. Olivia wanted to shake her head no at it, but only succeeded in lolling her head to the side; they didn’t have many of the things, and she was reluctant to use them, even in this situation.

                “You can yell at me later about this.” He said, positioning the needle over her leg just above the bite. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel the jab, but feeling nothing, and then heard the hiss as it released its contents. Gage chucked the empty syringe across the floor and pulled out some cloth and duct tape, bandaging the wound deftly.

                “You’re gonna be okay.” He said, the concern in his voice sounding strange to Olivia. She tried to smile at him, but thought that she just managed a grimace. She wasn’t in pain, she realized, just immobilized. Her mind wasn’t fuzzy or off, and she didn’t feel drowsy or sick. She hoped that this was all the venom was meant to do, immobilize the bloodworms prey so it could eat it, and that it would wear off in time. Gage was puttering around the room, shoring up the door and examining the rest of the area. She could see the safe in the corner of the room, forgotten.

                “How are you doing?” Gage asked after he had made sure the small building they sat in was secure. Olivia tried her mouth again, working her tingling tongue with little success. Instead, she winked at him. The corner of his mouth twitched.

                “Making a pass at me, Boss? Sorry I don’t get off on women that can’t fight back.” He said, and Olivia narrowed her eyes at him, the only thing she could do in the circumstances.

                “I told you I hated bugs.” He said, sitting down next to her. She fell against him, the metal of his armor cool on her cheek, and sighed wearily.

                “Try to sleep. We’re gonna be here a while. Just hope that storm veers off, cause if not…” He said, trailing off. Olivia made a noise in her throat, causing Gage to choke off a laugh.

                “Don’t worry. If you die here I won’t tell anyone that you got taken down by a bug. I’ll make up some heroic story.” He said roughly. Oddly enough, this was comforting, and she closed her eyes, listening to the far off rumble of the storm.

 

                She awoke some time later to Gage shaking her. She felt like she had been bulldozed by a deathclaw, but sighed in relief because at least she felt _something._

                “Flynn, wake up.” Gage was saying, still shaking her. She reached up clumsily and swatted his hand away.

                “What?” She slurred, surprising herself. She moved her tongue in her mouth again. It felt sluggish, but it worked.

                “You were dreaming.” He said shortly. Olivia froze. She _had_ been dreaming, fragmented images still lingered behind her eyelids, the nightmares and monsters that often plagued her. She wondered if she had said anything, but Gage made no mention of it.

                “Anyway, you should probably take some of this.” He said, handing her a bottle with a ratty label that read “Rad-X” in neat typed script. It was only then that she looked around, noticing the air had changed and the sunlight that once filtered in through the broken panes of the window had gone a sick yellow green color.

                “Shit.” She said, trying to pour out some of the pills into her hand. She succeeded in getting the lid off, but ended up flinging pills all over the floor. Gage snorted.

                “What the hell am I gonna do with you?” He asked quietly, scooping up the spilled contents and placing all but three back in the bottle. He placed them deliberately in her hand, before grabbing a bottle of water and holding it to her lips, allowing her to drink. She clumsily brought the pills to her mouth and swallowed them.

                “I told you you were gonna get me killed.” He said, gesturing outside. Olivia swiveled her head to face him and very carefully made a very rude gesture with her middle finger. Gage laughed.

                “At least you’re improving.” He said. Olivia tried to scoff but it was cut into more of a sighing sound.

                “T-thanks Gage.” She said after a time. The Raider chuckled to himself.

                “What was I gonna do? Let you die out here? Be responsible for finding _another_ Overboss in the span of a week?” He said in tones of mock seriousness. Olivia forced a laugh, which in turn made Gage laugh. They sat in silence for a while, Olivia testing movements in her arms and legs. Her arms were making a good comeback, but her legs were still jelly.

                “Who is Shaun?” Gage asked, after one particularly loud rumble from outside. Olivia swung her head to look at him, her eyes narrowed.

                “Why?” She asked, her voice still wavering but markedly stronger now.

                “You called it in your sleep.” He answered. She silently cursed herself.

                “How come I’m the o-one always answering q-questions?” She asked, squeezing and releasing her fists to relieve the last of the tingling there. Gage laughed.

                “You’re just mysterious I guess.” He answered gruffly. Olivia sighed. It wasn’t a secret, her past. She just hated rehashing it to everyone that hadn’t had the chance to read Piper’s Publik Occurrences.

                “Shaun’s my son. Or, he w-was.” She said quietly. A green flash shimmered through the cabin, and Olivia felt the subtle pinpricks of radiation over her skin. She shuddered. Gage shifted uncomfortably.

                “Oh…sorry.” He mumbled. Olivia looked down at her grimy hands, flexing and stretching them. She half shrugged.

                “Yeah, well… ‘s alright. It’s a l-long story.” She said. Gage gestured around them.

                “Ain’t got nothing but time right now.” Olivia snorted. That was the truth. The storm outside was just reaching them, the air becoming thick with the acrid smell of radioactivity. She hated that they weren’t inside somewhere sounder, safe from the coming onslaught. The shack was better than nothing, however.

                So, with stumbling speech, she told the Raider everything. She told him about the bombs, and about the Vault, about waking up from cryo-sleep to watch her son get kidnapped and her spouse get shot. She told him about escaping Vault 111 to find herself 210 years out of her own time. She told him about thinking she would be looking for her 10 year old son. She told him about her trek across the Commonwealth, about her many brushes with death. She told him about slogging through the Glowing Sea, and about building the Institute Relay. She told him about finding Shaun, not 10 years old, but 60. She told him about how he had become a monster, leading the Institute on its sinister quest. And she told him how she had blown it all sky high.

                When she finished, it was quiet. Gage sat, processing her story for a few moments as the storm outside picked up ferocity. Olivia could now wiggle her toes, and was doing so with gusto.

                “Well damn. That fucking sucks.” Gage finally said. Olivia gaped at him, a slight disbelieving smile on her face.

                “I tell you all that, and your response is “that fucking sucks”?” She asked, incredulous. She had to admit though; it was a poignant statement to make about the whole thing.

                “Yeah. That and I’m surprised you didn’t join up with a Raider crew before now.” He said, staring ahead.

                “I’m not a Raider, Gage. I could never be, not after what I’ve seen people do, not after everything I’ve done and all the people I’ve met and helped. Becoming a Raider isn’t the only answer when shit hits the fan.” She said softly. Gage scoffed.

                “Your whole life ripped away from you and flushed down the shitter and you still have that much…optimism about the world? Damn. You really are something else.” He said, voice genuinely astonished. One of the corners of her mouth quirked up.

                “Now it’s my turn to ask a question.” She said, her voice having returned fully with her story. Gage turned his head towards her and cocked a brow.

                “Yeah?”

                “What happened to your eye?” She said, gesturing at his eyepatch. He let out a mirthless laugh and self-consciously touched the patch.

                “Oh this? This is what happens when you trust people like Colter.” He said, and to Olivia’s surprise, he lifted the patch. The skin underneath was pale, letting the jagged scar that came down over his brow, across his eye, and two inches into his cheek show pink and gnarled. The eye in question was completely white, misted over where the pupil used to be. He dropped the patch again and looked towards the opposite wall. The storm was raging now, and they had to raise their voices to be heard over the whipping winds.

                “Colter did that to you?” Olivia asked, surprised. Gage shook his head fervently.

                “No, no. Just someone like him, I guess. See the way I see it, the world has two types of people for the most part. There’s those that just stumble through every day, trying to make out some shitty life for themselves, struggling every day until something comes along, and “boom”, lights out.” He said, pulling one knee up and resting his arm over it. Olivia had sat up straighter, but her shoulder still brushed the Raider’s armor.

                “And then there’s those who know just how fucked up the world is, only they don’t know how to deal with it. They decide they gotta have it all, because everything could be over tomorrow, so they gotta get all the booze and chems and caps they can. And they don’t care how they get it.”

                “And which one are you?” Olivia asked as he came to a stop. He looked at her, eye glinting in the dim green of the storm.

                “Far as I’m concerned, I ain’t either of ‘em. Most people out here try too hard, or they don’t try enough. People like me and you; we know how to walk the line between getting what we deserve, and getting out of control.” He said. Olivia thought about this, wondering if she wanted to be lumped in with people like Gage, but realized he had a point. She let him continue.

                “I figured it out early. I grew up in a shitty little settlement with parents that meant well, but ultimately were push overs. I watched them get kicked around for years by Raiders, handing over everything they had just to keep their lives. And one day, as I’m watching them cower from some fuck with a gun, I just think to myself “this ain’t gonna be me”, and I jet.” He said, voice clear over the now rolling storm.

                “I did a couple odd jobs for a while to make some caps, ran with caravans, scavenged and the like. But it was one day when I watched some Raiders come through a settlement I was running jobs for, it hit me. This fucked up world is always gonna be fucked up, but there’s one thing that didn’t change. When the Raiders came, everyone rolled over. Didn’t take long after that realization that I joined my first crew. I was 16.” He said. Olivia bit back a laugh.

                “You’re a fucking idiot.” She said. Gage looked at her with mock hurt. She shook her head.

                “Ooh, I’m some 16 year old kid whose life wasn’t going just how I wanted so why don’t I just become a god damned Raider!” She said, mocking Gage’s accent to the best of her ability. Gage shoved her gently, but she still almost toppled over, only righting herself when she caught the shoulder guard on his armor.

                “I’m alive still, ain’t I?” He said, face serious. She shrugged dismissively.

                “Yeah but so are a lot of people, and they didn’t have to become a Raider to do it.” She said coolly. Gage scoffed.

                “Do you wanna hear how I lost my eye or not, cause I’m about ready to leave your ass here and take my chances outside.” He teased. She held up her hands in a gesture for him to continue. He cleared his throat obnoxiously.

                “That first gang I got with when I was 16, they were a decent size, fair amount of muscle. Only they weren’t using it to the best of their abilities. And me being new and young, not to mention a fucking idiot, I start running my mouth, trying to make “suggestions” on how to improve things.” He said, gaze lifting to the ceiling as he recalled.

                “So what happened?” Olivia asked.

                “Hang on I’m telling you!” He said impatiently. Olivia stifled a giggle and let him go on.

                “Eventually the boss, Connor, I think he was called, finds me. I don’t remember what fucking stupid name he was using back then, “the Harvester” or some dumb shit like that. But anyways, this fucker finds me and I think he’s pissed. I think he’s heard about me and my dumb shit ideas and is coming to kick my ass or whatever. Only instead he starts talking to me and taking my advice.” He went on. The storm was passing now, the rumbles coming fewer and farther apart, the greenish tinge of the sky giving way to the dusky pink of coming night.

                “So I’m this fucking teenager, thinking I got the ear of the most powerful guy around, and I think I’m hot shit. Connor’s always coming to me about shit in the gang, telling me how much he trusts me. Not gonna lie, it all went to my head.”

                “Oh, no shit.” Olivia said sarcastically. Gage swung his gaze to her, cocking a wry brow.

                “If your legs worked right now I’d-“ He started.

                “Just tell the story!” Olivia prodded, her mouth curling up in a grin.

                “Fine. So a year or so goes by of this shit. One day we decide we’re gonna try to make peace with a rival gang. We work the whole thing out, I would take point negotiating with three of the biggest guys we got, and Connor would hang back in case shit went south. At first, it seemed like wasted time, but then they started to come around, saying how much sense a truce between us would make and shit. I’m about to lock the deal down when all hell breaks loose.” A far away rumble of thunder punctuated his story. Olivia listened intently now.

                “There’s suddenly gunfire and explosions. Lots of them. None of us know what’s going on. I’m thinking something went to shit and Connor is gonna have to come bail us out, y’know? But as we go outside and see what’s happening, I realize Connor ain’t no where around. The fucker set me up, and I fell for it. He thought he had pumped me for all the information I had, and that next I’d be gunning for his position. So he used me as a diversion and took his other men and ambushed the rival group while they were distracted. Obviously the leaders of this gang think I’m in on it, so they attack me. Connor’s men are attacking me. Here I am, a fucking stick legged 16 year old with 2 Raider gang’s on my ass. I barely got out alive.” He said quietly. Olivia waited for him to go on.

                “Some fucker tried to gouge my eye out with a knife, but I rolled away just in time to avoid the main blow. It bled like a son of a bitch. After that, I don’t remember much. Most of it was a blur. I wandered on my own for a bit, got a bad Med-x addiction after taking it for my eye. I was caught up in my own head, not knowing what to do next. I thought about going back, guns blazing, but I knew that’d end up with me on the losing end. So I moved on. I kicked the chems, telling myself I’d never get what I wanted if I was too worried about where my next fix was coming from. And then I told myself I’d never trust anyone to do anything but look out for themselves again after that. I never wanted to be that stupid again.” He finished. Olivia shifted, testing her legs. She could feel them again, finally, but they were still a tad wobbly. She’d have to get up and test them, but she stayed seated next to the Raider.

                “Well I wouldn’t do that to you.” She said after a time. Gage let out a half laugh, nodding slowly.

                “Y’know, call me stupid, but I actually believe that.” He said softly.

                “I just have one more question.” She started. He raised a dark brow at her.

                “Did you have to make your eyepatch so huge and flashy? I mean, c’mon.” She teased. Gage pushed her over in earnest this time, but with the majority of her faculties returned, she pushed herself back and then up onto her feet, cautiously testing if they’d hold her weight. They did.

                “Woah, Flynn, you sure you’re ready to get up?” He asked, getting to his feet beside her. She nodded, taking a few wary steps.

                “Yeah, I’m good. Besides, we gotta finish clearing the park. I mean now that the rad storm is passed us we can get the key and head-“ She started for the safe across the room.

                “What? You just got poisoned and you wanna finish clearing this place? We can come back, you should go back to Fizztop and-“ He protested. She was on her knees in front of the safe, working out the combination now.

                “And what? Wallow around in self-pity while learning to walk again? I’m fine, we’re here, let’s just get this over with so we can pass this one off to a gang and move on.” She said, feeling the satisfying click of the lock give under her fingers. She pulled the door open with a rusty squeak and grabbed the key, which, oddly enough, was the only thing in the safe.

                Gage was eyeing her dubiously, but made no more protests when she made for the door of the shack. It was full dark now, the light of the waning moon casting shimmering shadows over the park. They moved slowly, mostly so as to not run into anything, but also because Olivia’s legs were still shaky. Mad Mulligan’s Mine was in the back of the park, a huge fake mountain with broken pieces of the roller coaster collapsed around it.

                “You sure you don’t wanna go back and wait, at least til daylight?” Gage asked as they rounded the queue to enter the ride. Olivia shot him a look that was meaningless in the dark.

                “What Gage, are you scared of the dark?” She said teasingly as they approached the door. Gage scoffed.

                “No. I’m afraid of being stuck in what basically amounts to a dark god-damned cave with an Overboss whose legs don’t fucking work.” He said agitatedly. Olivia laughed quietly at the man and pulled the door open.

                “We’ll be fine now that we know not to let the fuckers bite you. Plus, we don’t even know if they’re inside.”


	10. Pistol Packin' Mama

 

                There had been bloodworms inside. Lots of them. An insane amount. They hid in corpses of dead Brahmin and swarmed in groups underfoot. They had found the bodies of the remaining traders as well, long dead after having escaped Nuka-Town after the arrival of Colter and the Raiders, and finding themselves outmatched and alone against the bloodworms that infested the park.

 It had been a literal nightmare fighting through the bloodworms, only to get to the end of the ride and find a huge pit that was home to what Gage lovingly called “Queen Bitch of the Fucking Bloodworms”. Basically a huge bloodworm herself, she had put up a valiant fight, but exploded in a shower of gore with a well tossed grenade from Gage.

                And so it was that they left Dry Rock Gulch, tired, sore, and covered in grime and bloodworm guts, finally stumbling back into Nuka-Town as the first rays of the morning sun glimmered on the horizon. Olivia had left Gage at the bottom of the lift, promising to see him after they had both cleaned up and slept for a while.

                The inner apartment of Fizztop had a bathroom with a tub that spit out water in short cold bursts. It took a while to fill, but eventually she was satisfied and turned the rusted spigot off. She eased herself in, uncaring of the chill of the water that caused goosebumps to race up her arms and down her chest. She washed thoroughly, trying to ignore the greyish color the water quickly turned. When she was content she got out, found some less dirty clothes in the bottom of her bag, and redressed for the night, walking back out onto the patio part of the apartment and out of the stifling closeness of the room.

                She still felt slightly weak, but didn’t know if it was from lack of sleep or proper food, or from the remnants of the bloodworm venom. She resolved that after announcing who would take over control of the next park, she would see if Gage would agree to a break of a couple days. With two parks now cleared out, there would be no doubt that she was doing her job, and maybe the gangs wouldn’t be so wary if she just sat back for a couple days and recuperated.

                The thought of announcing who would take the next park made her stomach turn. She hadn’t stopped thinking about it since they had killed the bloodworm queen and left Dry Rock. The obvious choice would be the Disciples, their bloodthirsty nature perfect to take care of any remaining bloodworms that may pop up in the park, as well as to get their unsettling leader Nisha off her back. But the silence from the Pack after Galactic Zone was worrisome as well. Gage had said that they were easy enough to deal with, should they get riled up, but was that the truth?

                In the end, she had decided on the Disciples. She didn’t like seeing the masked visage of Nisha confronting her, and resolved that if she gave them Dry Rock, Nisha would be busy enough to stay out of her way for a time. The Pack could have the next park, Safari Adventure, she remembered. This decided, she had pushed all other worries and thoughts from her head and curled up to sleep for a little, even as the sun began to shine outside.

 

                She awoke several hours later to the sound of the lift. She sat up, noticing the late afternoon sun, and straightened herself as the form of Gage materialized from below. She was surprised to find herself not altogether unhappy at the sight of him.

                “Sleep well?” She called as the elevator jerked into place. He looked at her and grimaced. She could see that he had had a chance to clean up slightly, the grimy worn tank top he usually wore under his armor was replaced with a markedly less grimy and worn one, and his face was no longer streaked with dirt.

                “No, actually. Everyone wants to know who you’re putting in Dry Rock. They’ve been pestering me all morning, even after I chucked a couple knives at ‘em.” He said, dragging a large calloused hand down his face. His eye was bloodshot, but not bleary.

                “Oh…” She trailed off, going behind the bar and removing two glasses, pouring what she thought was whisky into them. She pushed one to the man who gladly took it, downing it in two gulps.

                “Yeah, I ain’t got some fancy place to fuck off to alone, y’know.” He said wryly, shooting her a glance and then looking around the Fizztop apartment. She dropped her glass to the bar, raising a brow.

                “I didn’t ask for this place, y’know? You wanna sleep up here? Fine, I’ll go home.” She said teasingly, though letting the seriousness show on her face. He quirked his mouth up at her.

                “You still wanna leave? Even after all we been through?” He said mockingly, his voice going up a pitch at the words. She laughed.

                “If I didn’t think I’d get disemboweled…” She said lightly, watching Gage’s face, which remained impassive. She shrugged at him and took another swig from her cup.

                “Speaking of disemboweled. Who’s got the honor of taking over that bug infested hell hole?” Gage asked gruffly. Olivia gazed out the open walls, tactfully avoiding the Raiders gaze.

                “I’m thinking Disciples. They’ll have fun clearing out the rest of the bloodworms. And it will get Nisha off my back for a while.” She said. Gage nodded slowly.

                “It’s a sound decision. The Pack won’t be happy though.” He said. She laughed humorlessly.

                “No one is gonna be happy, Gage. They can have the next one. I’ve proven I’m gonna come through, right?” She said, turning her gaze back to watch him. He half shrugged.

                “So far, yeah. But that may just be making everyone antsier about it. There’s three gangs and five parks, y’know? Even if you do clear them out and distribute them evenly, someone is gonna be left out. I ain’t saying we’re dealing with geniuses here, but even these guys know that math don’t work out.” He said honestly. Olivia sighed and rubbed a hand over her head, feeling the short hairs there move back and forth under her fingers.

                “Well we will just have to deal with that when it comes to it, huh?” She said finally, finishing the drink and setting the cup down a tad harder than she intended.

                “Shall we go see Nisha then?” She asked. Gage nodded.

 

                They found Nisha in the dark cave-like home the Disciples had made underneath Fizztop Mountain. She was flanked by two other Raiders, who Olivia learned were named Dixie and Savoy. The conversation they were having trailed off at the approach of Olivia and Gage, and, in her unsettling way, Nisha turned her face to them, as though she could see straight through the mask.

                “Ahh, Overboss. I heard of your good fortunes at Dry Rock Gulch. I trust you’re here with good news for me and my Disciples.” She said, voice velvety as always, but with a cold note to it. Olivia cleared her throat and stepped forward, ignoring the two other Raiders that stood beside her.

                “You and the Disciples have Dry Rock. There is some nasty shit there though. I trust you all will have no trouble dealing with it.” She said shortly. At this, the tone of the room drastically changed. It was so different and sudden that even Gage shifted uncomfortably beside her. Olivia saw Nisha’s lips curl into a smile, however, she noted that the smile held no ill in it at all. It was truly a smile of unabashed delight.

                “Overboss, you have made very powerful friends on this day.” She said, standing from the throne like chair she had been reposed in. Olivia shrugged as though adjusting her shirt, still reeling from the sudden shift in demeanor.

                “Well, I hope I’m not making a mistake…” She said, letting her eyes flit between the three Disciples. Nisha shook her head.

                “I promise you, you are not. And I hope you know how grateful we are to have an Overboss that can get shit done.” She said, her tone now one of mild respect. Nisha even shook her hand, a gesture that she thought the woman didn’t perform very often, if ever. The two turned to leave, but Nisha stopped them.

                “Please, stay! Revel with us. It has been a very long time since the Disciples have had anything to celebrate.” She said, her hand lighting on Olivia’s arm. Olivia looked to Gage, who simply shrugged.

                “Uh, sure.” She said, watching another genuine smile come to Nisha’s barely visible lips. She clapped her hands together and guided them out of the room, down to the ground level where random Raiders were lounging or sharpening weapons, all to the backdrop of Red-Eye twanging away on the radio.

                “Disciples!” She yelled as they reached a particularly central fire barrel. The Raiders stiffened, masked faces looking to their leader as she spoke.

                “Tonight our Overboss has given us the gift of Dry Rock Gulch! So tonight, we drink to her honor!” She said succinctly. There were shouts and whoops from the people around them, and soon Olivia found herself inundated with back thumps and congratulations, reminding her of the Operators after Mags had made the similar announcement to them. Gage watched her, taking a drink from an offering hand. She raised a brow at him, and he bowed his head slightly, raising the bottle to her.

 

                The Disciples, for all their bloodthirsty and serious nature, threw quite the party when given the occasion. Olivia was plied with food and drink well into the night, still keeping vigilant, but allowing herself to relax slightly in the Raider’s presence. She listened to stories from the Disciples about past conquests that, more often than not, had some gruesome element to them, though Olivia thought they left out the truly detestable ones out of a sort of macabre respect for her.

                Gage had retired early, having not had any sleep the night before, and left her ensconced in a very serious discussion about the finer points of card sharking.

                “The key is to pick an egotistical mark,” Savoy was saying to a group of Raiders and Olivia, all crowded around a small fire pit in the corner of the large room, “That way, people around you will bet more money against you, thinking the dude with the big-head is gonna come out on top.” Nods of assent rippled through the small crowd.

                Olivia stayed until her own eyes began to feel heavy, and then found Nisha to thank her for the hospitality and made her way out. The night was hot, summer in full swing, and the sounds of the mutated crickets from beyond the walls echoed a peaceful tattoo around her. She was grateful that she didn’t have far to walk, and soon was hitting the button of the lift, feeling it creak and rattle to life beneath her feet.

                The Fizztop apartment was dark, the only light streaming in from the moon above. She kicked her boots off, not caring where they landed and made for the bed, stripping armor and her over shirt off as she went. She let out a jaw-cracking yawn and sighed, finally reaching her destination. She let herself fall, eyes closing as she tipped.

                She leapt off the bed in an instant, suddenly wide awake and stifling a scream. There was something, hard and slimy on the mattress. She had collapsed onto it fully, and had felt it squelch under her. She scrambled, heart in her throat for the Pip-Boy on her arm, pounding madly at buttons until she found the light.

                The green glow of her Pip-Boy illuminated the severed head of a Brahmin, one that, had she to guess, had been dead at least a few days. The smell hit her now, and she fought back the urge to puke. The light shifted as she moved to cover her mouth, and she saw the message on the wall, written in what she hoped was Brahmin blood.

                “DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE PACK, OVERBOSS” It said in large messy letters. Revulsion was giving way to anger now, and she clicked the light off, snatching the large canvas she had been using as a blanket over the mattress and wrapping the head up. She stomped to the lift and slammed the button.

 

                Gage was asleep, his yellow armor carefully placed to the side of the stained mattress he slept on. Olivia unceremoniously dumped the head by his legs, causing him to startle from sleep, pulling a knife from under the rags he used as a pillow.

                “What the fuck Flynn?” He said, before looking down to what she had tossed at him. He comically scrambled away from it, looking from it to her, very confused and obviously still half asleep.

                “With love from the Pack.” She said viciously, beginning to pace outside the platform of the makeshift shack.

                “They left that for you? How do you know?” He said, slowly getting his bearings. He was only in his black pants and tank top, but had begun to pull his boots on in the excitement.

                “They left it on my fucking bed. With a note written on my wall. ‘Don’t forget about the Pack, Overboss.’ Fuckers.” Her anger was fading to irritation, thinking about it and what she could actually do about them. Not much.

                “That’s…disgusting.” Gage said, toeing the head out of his bed with his boot and kicking it away from the shack with a sickening thud. Olivia crossed her arms and sighed.

                “Yeah. Try being half asleep and laying down right on top of the fucking thing. What should I do?” She asked. He thought for a minute, and then shrugged.

                “Well you can do two things. You can either go in there, guns blazing and take revenge on them for something they probably think is akin to a gross prank, or you can ignore it.” He said, eyeing the spot on his mattress where the head had been before sitting back down on it.

                “Ignore it? That’s basically a threat to me!” She said exasperated at his apparent lack of interest. He grinned wryly.

                “I guess, but that’s just how the Pack is, Boss. And to be honest, if that’s the worst they do after being picked last to control a park…” He said, trailing off. Olivia stared into the night where the head lay, contemplating.

                “They’ll be lucky if I give them a park after this.” She muttered. Gage laughed.

                “You’ll give them a park. It’s who you are.”

                “What’s that supposed to mean?” She said sharply. Gage rubbed his face with his hands, looking up to her from his spot on the mattress.

                “You’ll do anything to avoid a confrontation, I think.” He said gruffly. He stared longingly at his makeshift pillow. Olivia could feel the exhaustion pulling at her as well.

                “Oh you think you know me that well, do you?” She asked harshly. Gage sighed.

                “Can we do this assessment of your character tomorrow or something?” He asked, moving to take his boots off once more.

                “Fine. But I’m not just gonna let them get away with this.” She said, turning to go.

                “Sure Boss. G’night.”


	11. Civilization

 

                Olivia slept on the bed inside Fizztop, avoiding the patio area until morning when she could clean it up. Gage had come up the next morning to see the message, grinning like an idiot as he saw how irritated with it she was.

                “C’mon Boss, you gotta admit it’s kinda funny.” He said, watching her scrub the wall with a carton of dirty water and an old dishrag. She was succeeding only in smearing the dried blood around, creating a larger mess.

                “No, I don’t. It’s not funny. At the least it’s childish, and at the most it’s a threat.” She said between breaths as she put her weight into the work. The wall was a large reddish-brown blotch now, but she kept scrubbing.

                “So what are you gonna do about it?” Gage said, and Olivia could hear his mirth stifled beneath his words. She sighed and dropped her arms, defeated.

                “Well… nothing I guess. But I’m not clearing another park for a while. Give them time to think about what they’ve done.” She said, still irritated, but calmer now. Gage scoffed.

                “More like give them time to put something nastier in your bed next time.” He muttered. She shot him a look, but sighed.

                “I just need time to regroup after Dry Rock. Make sure I’m 100%, maybe contact Preston and let him know I’m okay. Also we should resupply and take stock. Safari Adventure is a ways out from the other parks, it looks like.” She said, tossing the bloody dishrag into a corner where it hit the floor with a wet sound. Gage watched her, but nodded.

                “Yeah, it’s a ways out. And I wouldn’t mind a couple days break. Not like you ain’t good for finishing the parks anyways.” He said, grabbing one of the rusty barstools and plopping down on it. Olivia looked from him to the stained wall, sighing. She got up and joined him at the bar, finding a couple bottles of beer and handing one to the Raider. He took it gratefully. She opened hers and took a swig, the flat liquid bitter in her mouth, but without the sting of radiation almost everything else had.

                “No one knows what’s out there, right?” She asked him between sips. He shook his head.

                “Nope, ain’t traders though.” He said sardonically. Olivia rolled her eyes at him.

                “Well then we better go super prepared. Bring extra stimpaks if we can manage it. Maybe find a bottlecap mine or two.” She said, watching him nod at her words.

                “I’m sure I can scrounge something up in the Marketplace. We should plan to be there a couple days, it’s farther out than any of the other parks, and it’s bigger according to the map too.” He said. Olivia nodded.

                “Well, we will be prepared for anything then.” She said, and finished off the beer.

 

                In the event they spent five days in Nuka-Town, gathering supplies and bringing themselves back together after the wild ride that had been Dry Rock. The Pack was silent, obviously content with their prank. Olivia's leg had mostly healed, leaving only a little scabbing over what would become an interesting looking scar. Gage had not told anyone about the bloodworm that bit her, but had made a point to dramatically push her out of the way any time a wayward fly or beetle crossed her path. He thought this was hilarious, she did not.

               Olivia had contacted Preston, who while still very wary about her being gone, had dutifully recounted the state of the various settlements in the Commonwealth, as well as telling her about other endeavors that the Minutemen were undertaking. She had made sure to speak with him at night, when most of the Raiders had gone off to bed, or were at least too drunk or stoned to care what she was doing. She had assured Preston that she was alright again, and told him that it would probably still be some time longer before she was able to go back to the Commonwealth, much to his dismay.

                Gage had been with her when she made this call, and he had made low noises in his throat every time Preston had referred to her as “General”. She had rolled her eyes at him, but mostly ignored it, knowing the thin ice she could be treading on should he choose to let anyone know her station with the Minutemen.

                As morning dawned on the sixth day, they departed, packs filled with supplies and a renewed energy. Olivia was wary about Safari Adventure, with no idea as to what they might find there, and it being so far out and away from any possible help or aid. She remained positive, however, joking lightly with Gage as they walked along the cracked sidewalks that rimmed the large lake in the center of all the parks. The sky was dark, and every now and then large raindrops would splatter on Olivia’s face, causing her to flinch. She hoped the rain would hold off, but thought that it may be to their advantage, covering their scents and any extra noises they made.

                As they approached Safari Adventure, Olivia caught sight of group of strange creatures grazing on some dried irradiated grasses by an abandoned parking lot. She crouched and motioned for Gage to do the same. As they got closer, Olivia made a noise of disbelief.

                “What?” Gage whispered to her, rifle trained on the closest creature.

                “Those are mutated Gazelles. Two-headed fucking Gazelle.” She said, not taking her eyes off them.

                “What’s that? Like a Radstag?” He asked, sighting down the barrel of his weapon. Olivia placed a hand over the top of his gun, pushing it down and causing an annoyed noise to escape the Raider’s lips.

                “Kinda. It’s from Africa though. Must have been some in Safari Adventure when the bombs fell and well… Life finds a way I guess.” She said, still watching the creatures. Even with their mutated bodies, they moved with a grace that was ingrained in centuries of DNA.

                “Africa, huh? Like another continent?” Gage asked. She nodded.

                “Well if there’s Gazelles, or whatever, there might be all kinds of weird fucking shit in there then.” He said, echoing the thought that had just crossed Olivia’s mind. She nodded and stood, startling the creatures into a bounding sprint away from them. They crossed the remaining distance to the entrance, just as a light patter of rain began. Olivia cursed under her breath. The arch of the entrance was overgrown with vines and various odd plants, some long dried with radiation, some seeming to flourish in the wasteland. Olivia saw a plant she recognized as Melon Blossom growing wild on the ground near the side of the arch.

                “Holy shit.” Came Gage’s voice from beside her. She looked up to him, and then followed his gaze to see what he was looking at.

                There was a man, huge and muscular, dressed in nothing but what Olivia would describe as a loincloth. He was swinging a large wooden board, dark hair flying in a messy ponytail behind him. It was what he was swinging at that made the bile rise in Olivia’s throat, though.

                It was huge, its scales glistening in the rain as it swung a massive clawed hand at the oddly dressed man, who deftly dodged out of the way of it. It let out a ground-shaking roar, showing a wide mouth lined with teeth, blunted like that of an alligator, but still deadly. She could hear the snap of its jaws as it lunged at the man. It stood on two legs, hunched like a Deathclaw.

                “Fuck me.” She said under her breath, and out of the corner of her eye saw Gage take aim with his rifle. The first shot he took bounced off the creature’s hide, making it flinch, but the second shot took it in the eye, causing it to stumble, its large hands reaching up to claw at its face. The man before it took this opportunity to bring the board down on its skull with a sickening crunch. The creature crumpled before him, and he took one last heaving swing at it, before standing and wiping his brow with a hide wrapped wrist. Olivia and Gage began approaching the man cautiously. He saw them and his face lit up.

                “You help Cito kill monster! You friend?” The man said, voice deep but halting, a strange accent weaving in and out of his words. Olivia saw Gage roll his eyes and whisper a very dirty swear under his breath.

                “Um, are you okay? Why are you talking like that?” Olivia asked carefully. The man, Cito, smiled awkwardly at her.

                “Cito sorry Cito not talk good. Cito family not talk. Cito not see man or lady for long time. You kill monster. Monster strong, but you stronger!” Cito exclaimed, making Gage sigh in exasperation and walk away, going to examine the body of the monster. Olivia watched him for a moment, before her gaze shifted back to Cito.

                “What the fuck is that thing? Some kind of Deathclaw?” Olivia asked, gesturing to the slain beast. Cito shrugged, not understanding.

                “Cito not know. Cito only know “death” bad. And monster bad. Monsters hurt Cito’s family.” He said. Olivia struggled to keep patient.

                “Well, it’s gone now.” She said. Cito shook his bearded head.

                “No. Many more monsters. Cito kill one monster, another come. Cito kill that monster, new monster come. New friends kill monster. You and angry man help Cito kill monsters?” He said, looking at Gage who was glowering at the body. Olivia stifled a laugh.

                “Uh, sure Cito. Angry man and I will help. Do you know where the monsters are coming from?” She asked. Cito shook his head.

                “No. But you follow Cito. Cito show you thing. Thing help you kill monsters.” He said, turning to go. Olivia whistled at Gage, who came over to her.

                “What the fuck is going on?” He said, voice low. They were following the shirtless man down a path past some old animal enclosures. Everything was grown over, but the rank stench of forgotten zoo still lingered in the air. Cito glanced back to make sure they were following, and then continued, cutting through an old enclosure.

                “He’s taking us to show us something that will help us kill those things, whatever they are.” She answered. Gage scratched his head with one hand, before returning it to his weapon.

                “Why’s he talkin’ like that? Sounds like an idiot.” He said, stepping over a fallen log. Olivia shot him a look.

                “I don’t think he’s seen people in a long time. Cut him a break, the guy killed that thing with a board.” She said. Gage scoffed.

                “Yeah, but it would have shredded him without my bullet.” He said. Olivia shook her head.

                “Maybe, but who knows how long he’s been here, and he said he’s killed them before. That’s worth something.” She replied. Gage shrugged as they reached a building that read “Primate House” over the entrance.

                “Fitting.” Gage muttered. Olivia elbowed him as they followed Cito inside.


	12. Crazy He Calls Me

               The first thing Olivia noticed was the smell. It was putrid, like feces and decaying food and animal musk all rolled into one. She had to consciously stop herself from covering her nose with her hand. Gage visibly recoiled at it, but quickly regained his composure when they saw what had obviously been contributing to the smell.

                A family of gorillas looked up as Cito walked up to them, crowding around him, touching him and making grunting noises. They glanced warily at Olivia and Gage, but Cito make an odd gesture and his own grunts, and they seemed calmed. Olivia blinked unbelievingly.

                “Jesus fucking Christ.” She muttered. Gage muttered an agreement of that sentiment beside her. A closer look at the gorillas (there were 4 of them) showed them with patchy fur and wrinkled withered faces. If Olivia had to guess, she would say that they were _ghouls_.

                “This Cito’s family. You Cito’s friends. You family’s friends.” Cito said, crouching beside a particularly large gorilla. Olivia half smiled at him.

                “Um, thanks.” She said, unsure of the situation they found themselves in. Cito smiled.

                “Cito have story. Help you kill monsters! One day, Cito eat with family. Wrinkly man come inside home. He hurt. Cito try to help wrinkly man. Wrinkly man say he make monsters. Cito mad, but wrinkly man say he sorry. Give Cito shiny thing. Say will help stop monsters.” He said. Olivia could feel Gage losing patience beside her and nodded, urging Cito on.

                “Wrinkly man die. But Cito keep shiny thing. Now give shiny thing to you. You help stop monsters.” He said, and turned to the corner of the room, digging in an old trash bin for a moment. The gorillas were going back to their normal routines, wary eyes cast on them every now and then. The whole thing felt very surreal.

                “Here. Shiny thing.” Cito said, handing Olivia a holotape. She took it gingerly and smiled at him, before pulling her arm up and popping it in her Pip-boy. It started to play; the first sounds were just a coughing noise, and then some heavy breathing.

                “ _This is Dr. Darren McDermot… Last known survivor at the Safari Adventure…Replication facility. This is my…final recording…”_ A grizzled and rasping voice said. Olivia thought it was the voice of a ghoul, which made the “wrinkly man” Cito spoke of suddenly make sense. The tape continued, telling of the doctor and how he had created something called a “Gatorclaw”, which Olivia assumed to be the creature they had seen Cito fighting as they entered the park, the “monsters” Cito had told them about. Dr. McDermot had not only created them somewhere within the park, but according to the holotape, they were now being cloned out of control. The tape ended with a note to find a passcode to stop the “Nuka-Gen Replicator” and a final plea that if anyone should find a “Dr. Hein” to ask him to forgive Dr. McDermot.

                “Well fuck.” Gage said eloquently as Olivia ejected the tape and tucked it in her bag. She glanced at him in agreement and turned back to Cito, who was looking expectantly at her.

                “Shiny thing help new friends?” He asked.

                “Um, yes it did. Do you know anything about a cloning facility around here?” She said, sighing as the glazed look of incomprehension crossed Cito’s face.

                “Cito not know these words. But Cito know more about wrinkly man. See him come from big triangle house long ago. Maybe clo-ning fa-cil-ity there. Cito come help new friends!” He said, picking his big stick back up. Olivia shook her hands in front of her and Gage stepped forward.

                “Woah big guy, I think we got this one.” He said cautiously. Olivia nodded in agreement and glanced at the gorillas around them.

                “Cito, stay here and protect your family. We will handle the monsters and come back when they’re gone, okay?” She said slowly. Cito frowned, but put the stick down and nodded.

                “Okay. But new friends be careful. Monsters very bad.” He said gravely. Gage stifled a scoff, and Olivia shot him a look. She gave an awkward smile to Cito, and the two turned to leave, grateful to be out of the stench of the enclosed building, but wary about what they were going into.

 

                The rain was coming down in full earnest now, causing a heavy feeling to permeate the air as the humidity rose. Olivia cursed and checked the knife at her boot, its weight comforting to her when she thought of the fact that the rain might make their weapons not as reliable. Gage was surveying the area around them, gun raised to ready level.

                “What the fuck is a triangle house?” He asked, voice raised a bit above the noise of the rain. Olivia eyed him, feeling warm droplets of water run down her back and over her cheeks.

                “Did you not see the shape of the welcome center when we came in?” She asked. He raised a brow at her.

                “No, sorry I was more interested in the giant lizard that was fighting the ape-man.” He said sarcastically. Olivia answered this with an eye roll and turned back the way they came, swinging her shotgun down in front of her and readying it.

                “Well it’s shaped like a triangle. Well more like a pyramid, but that’s splitting hairs.” She said, starting to walk at a slow pace. The rain was very inconvenient, masking sounds and impeding vision, but it also prevented anything from hearing or seeing them very easily.

                “I wonder what’s up there.” Gage said as they rounded the corner back to the front of the park. He was gesturing with the barrel of his gun to a large tree in the center of the park. There was a structure up in the canopy of it. It must have been 30 or 40 feet up.

                “I dunno, but I bet you can see all of Nuka-World from up there.” She said, making a mental note to check it out later. They were coming up on the welcome center now; the dead body of the Gatorclaw that Cito had slain lay on the patio out in front of it. They sidestepped a puddle of rainwater mixed with the creature’s blood, and quietly pulled the door to the building open and slid inside.

 

                It was dark, the only light filtering in from a skylight in the ceiling above. It reflected off broken glass on the floor below, as well as off the body of a giant stuffed gorilla in the corner. They were still, letting their eyes adjust to the dim light when they heard it. The unmistakable shuffle and breathing of something very, very large.

                Olivia took a deep breath and moved forward silently, towards the railing of the balcony they stood on. The floor below was partially in shadow, the light from the skylight not able to reach that far back. She could see a desk with some pre-war terminals on it, and a couple alcoves in the walls that may have been animal cages. She strained her eyes to see more, and then caught a slight shift of movement.

                “There.” She breathed, barely audible. Gage followed the barrel of her gun and found the creature, hulking in the dark just beyond the desk. He caught her eye, silently asking what to do next. She reached into her bag and pulled out a grenade, cocking a brow at him. His lip twitched up in a devious grin, and he nodded slightly. The monster was still hunched in the darkness, not moving, but Olivia could see the faint glimmer of the dim light off its scales. She brought the grenade out in front of her and pulled the pin, before tossing it in a graceful arc over the balcony. They heard the bomb hit the ground and skitter a bit. The Gatorclaw heard it too and raised its head in curiosity, but it was too late.

                A huge explosion rocked the room, causing pieces of concrete and linoleum to rain down around them. Olivia had turned away, covering her ears to the initial blast, but now turned back, gun in hand, frantically searching for the beast in case the grenade had not finished it off.

                “Well shit.” Gage said, coming to his full height out of a crouch and starting down the stairs. Olivia hesitated but then followed him, wary for anything else that may be lurking in the room.

                The creature had its legs blown completely off. Olivia could see the ragged edges of the flesh of it dragging on the ground behind it, blood so dark it was almost black pooling on the once bright floor. The Gatorclaw was not dead, however. It was crawling after them, trying feebly to use its arms to pull itself towards them, teeth gnashing frantically. Olivia could see its eyes rolling to and fro in its head as it fought to stay alive and take revenge. Gage took one more step forward and shot it through one of the spinning eyes. It went still.

                “These fuckers are tough, I’ll give them that.” He said, wiping his brow and stepping back towards Olivia. She nodded in agreement.

                “I can’t for the life of me think of any reason anyone would want to create these, not to mention clone them.” She said, eyeing the corpse as she walked by it, scanning the rest of the darkened room. Gage grunted in agreement.

                In the back of the room she found a door, with a terminal that seemed to be running on some kind of auxiliary power. There was a skeleton outside the door, which turned out to be an elevator, and it was cradling a duffle bag, which Gage was now rifling through. Olivia clicked through a couple messages on the terminal, learning that the park had gone into lockdown after an animal rights group (AFAD, she read) had created a security breach. She pulled up the next message and read intently.

                “I think I know where we have to go next.” She said as she finished. Gage stood from the bag and turned to her, listening.

                “It seems that the day the bombs fell, some animal rights group was causing quite the stir here. They kidnapped the Dr. Hein that we needed to find and took him out to the Angry Anaconda construction site, threatening that if no one would listen to their demands, they would kill him.” She said, clicking back out of the terminal. Gage raised his eyebrow at her.

                “Animal rights group?” He asked, incredulous. Olivia felt a smile cross her face.

                “Yeah, AFAD they called themselves, Animal Friends and Defenders. They are-or were- people who were against the confinement and mistreatment of animals.” She explained. Gage stared dumbly at her for a moment, and she felt a blush heat her cheeks unwillingly.

                “Animal rights. Like these people spent their time caring about what happened to a fucking Brahmin in a zoo?” He asked, disbelieving. Olivia snorted with suppressed laughter.

                “Well, yeah, aside from the fact there were no Brahmin, y’know, before.” She said. He rubbed a hand across his forehead.

                “You Pre-War folks were fucking crazy." He said. Olivia just shrugged, not knowing how to argue with him.

                "Where is this “Angry Anaconda” thing? Let’s find this guy, or his body I guess and get the passcode and stop this thing from making any more of those fucks.” He said, turning and pointing to the body of the Gatorclaw. Olivia nodded.

                “Well I remember vaguely before the war some advertisements about it. It was a new roller coaster they were building here, and they were touting it as “the fastest coaster on the East Coast”. The ads always showed the concept drawings of it, and said it was opening near the reptile house in the spring of 2078.” She said, a slight nostalgic tone marking her voice. Gage cleared his throat and made to leave.

                “Alright then. Hope you got more of them grenades. Something tells me we will be meeting a couple more of those fucking things before we get back here.” He said. Olivia nodded, and with one more glance at the prone body of the Gatorclaw, followed him out.


	13. Right Behind You, Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excitement in this chapter! I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!

               They had indeed met more Gatorclaws. Six, in fact, and every one of them fought tooth and nail to remain alive, much to Olivia and Gage’s dismay. They had managed well enough, using the rain to help mask their approach and stealthily take them out. They had found the body of Dr. Hein inside a construction trailer in the middle of the Angry Anaconda building area, and found his passcode as well as a holotape that held an interrogation of the doctor, as well as the last few moments of the AFAD members before the bombs fell. The last few lines of the holotape sent shivers up Olivia’s spine as she remembered that day, two centuries ago, and remembered the fear that had permeated the air, that had vibrated through everyone around.

                The replication facility was far below Safari Adventure, hidden in a basement like area. It was dark and dank, the smell like that of a fish tank gone too long without cleaning. They had found more holotapes concerning Dr. McDermot and his quest to defend the park and the replication lab. He had created the Gatorclaws with not only alligators, but also Super Mutants, which, Gage said, answered a whole lot of questions.

                As it turned out, turning off the replicator was fairly easy. It was the giant albino Gatorclaw that had made its home in the flooded lab that had been the difficult part. It had been a close call, with Gage getting his weapon knocked away and being cornered and Olivia spraying buckshot into the creature’s back with abandon, finally getting it to turn around and come after her, subsequently creating her own pickle to get out of. Gage had regained his weapon and his composure, and with a very long string of very dirty swear words, had replaced the creature’s brain with lead.

                They left the facility feeling triumphant, Gage even smiling. The rain hadn’t let up, and now came down in hammering sheets. Olivia let it wash over her, letting the smell of the stagnant laboratory flow off of her. Gage began to make for the exit, but Olivia stopped him.

                “I want to check out that treehouse. I think we could get some good vantage points up there.” She said over the din of the rain. Gage eyed her, and then looked at the sky contemplating for a moment.

                “Fine, but I’m getting tired of being drenched. Let’s hurry this up.” He said. She smiled and turned, cutting around the corner of the building. It became apparent quickly that getting to the treehouse would be more difficult than she had thought. She hadn’t noticed the large hedge maze that made up the middle of the park. They entered under a sign that read “Cappy’s Treehouse”, and quickly found themselves lost among the ten foot tall bushes.

                “This was a bad idea.” Gage said for the fourth time. Olivia sighed, not wanting to agree, but realizing that they should probably have just come back later. The rain was making the ground muddy and difficult to walk through. She wiped a hand over her drenched face, turning another corner to yet another dead end.

                “I have an idea. Boost me up, I’ll look over and see if I can see where to go.” She said, dropping her weapon to the ground and turning to Gage. He looked taken aback momentarily, but then just raised a shoulder in a shrug and stepped towards the hedge, lacing his fingers together for her to step into. Olivia carefully placed her foot, and then braced herself on his shoulder as he lifted her. She wobbled slightly, but steadied herself and looked up and around.

                She heard the rustling before she saw it. The Gatorclaw that was lurking just on the other side of the hedge from where they stood. It saw her as she popped up, and she swore it looked startled for a moment, before it opened its dangerous mouth in a roar. Olivia had no time to do anything as Gage dropped her in surprise. She hit the ground hard, momentarily stunned. She could hear the creature trying to force its way through the thick bush, foliage scraping on its scales. Gage was pulling at her now, forcing her gun back into her hands as he struggled to get her to her feet.

                “Flynn, c’mon! We gotta move!” He yelled as the hedge beside her began to shiver with movement. She got up, shaking her head slightly to clear it and then quickly ran after Gage, just as the monster broke through, slamming a huge clawed foot down right where she had been lying.

                The ground squelched under them as they ran, turning corners without thought to which way they were going. She could hear the creature running after them, its hulking form getting caught in the narrow passages of the hedge maze, slowing it down, but not enough. Gage was in front of her, recklessly checking corners before throwing himself around them. They ran into a dead end, having just enough time to back track before the creature popped around a corner, still in pursuit.

                Olivia was digging in her bag, frantically trying to find one of the bottlecap mines she had packed as she ran. They turned another corner, and she swore, realizing they had been there before. Gage realized it too, but came to a stop, putting a hand up to her. She stopped as well, listening. She could no longer hear the Gatorclaw behind them. The rain was still pouring, but she couldn’t feel the vibrations of its feet, or hear its ragged breathing as she had moments before. Her heart hammered in her chest as she forced herself to listen as hard as she could.

                “Did we lose it?” Gage asked quietly, and Olivia had to read his lips to see what he said. She shook her head and shrugged, not knowing. They stood, each one listening intently, trying to feel for what had seemingly disappeared. They were almost directly underneath the tree with the house in it, and Olivia knew that around the corner would be the lift, she could see now the wires that would lift it up into the structure above.

                “Maybe we lost it, I don’t-“ Gage started, but was cut off by a sudden burst of the bushes beside him. The Gatorclaw launched itself out of the hedge and was on top of him, one of its feet pinning him to the ground while its clawed hands tore at his armor and face. Olivia was screaming, what she didn’t know, and threw herself at the beast. Forgetting her gun she pulled her knife from her boot, swinging it wildly at the creature. Her efforts were in vain as the knife glanced off the Gatorclaws scaled hide. With another scream she ran and jumped at it, throwing her arms around its body and frantically trying to hold on to it as she climbed it, trying to reach its gnashing jaws.

                She could feel the pulsing muscle beneath her, and the bony spikes on its back cut into her clothes but she kept moving. The creature was trying to get her off now; its hands reaching back to try to remove her. She dodged them and reached the spot on the creature, her serrated combat knife held at the ready. Then, she struck as the yellow eye came into reach, sinking the blade deep into the socket. She felt the popping of the eye and felt the hot spurt of its blood. It let out a deafening cry, and then fell back, now trying to scrape her off along the hedges. She felt the twigs and leaves scratch her all over and let go, allowing herself to drop to the ground as the creature writhed, holding its eye. It stomped a few paces away, head shaking as it tried to dislodge the knife from its eye.

                She scrambled up, almost slipping in the mud as she grasped at her pack again, dumping the contents out onto the ground. She only had to search for a moment before her hands grasped the cool tin of the bottlecap mine. The creature was regaining its composure, still stunned but now very angry. Olivia steeled herself, knowing that it was now or never, and, activating the mine, tossed it at the Gatorclaw.

                Somewhere in her mind she had known it had been too close. She had tried to turn away, to duck for cover, but there was no cover to be had. She felt the sharp edges of the caps slice into her face and bounce off her leather armor, but she also felt the hot chunks of the Gatorclaw raining down on her. She turned to see it lifeless, barely recognizable in the heap of viscera it had become.

                Olivia stared at it for a moment, feeling something hot dripping down her face and not knowing if it was her blood or the creatures. She took a deep breath, and then suddenly remembered Gage.

 

                He was sunk deep in the mud, the Gatorclaw having pushed him down as it stood on him. He was barely conscious, breath coming in short bursts. Olivia knelt beside him, not knowing where to touch first. His armor was caved in the left shoulder guard completely torn off, the sharp edges of the yellow metal digging into his flesh. She could see where the creature had gotten its claws into him, where the metal had given way and let the sharp talons drag down into his ribs. He was bleeding a lot. She stood and ran to push all the things back into her bag before slinging it frantically over her shoulder.

                “Hang on Gage. Hang on.” She said loudly as she came back beside him. She peeked around the corner of the hedge, clearing it and making sure she was right about the treehouse (she was), before turning back to the Raider. She gripped him under both his arms, feeling the heat of his blood from the wound on his side and pulled. He barely budged, but she tried again, this time digging her heels into the mud. He came free from the depression in the ground with a yell that sent shivers down her spine.

                He was heavy, but she was determined, and in a few minutes she had him on the lift. She pounded the button and felt the elevator creak into motion. Gage’s face was white as a sheet, his good eye clamped shut. He was shivering, but she knew it wasn’t from cold. The lift came to a stop at the top and she only quickly glanced around to make sure there weren’t any enemies before dragging him onto the platform. It was fairly dry, and she laid him in the center of the room, next to a rusted out statue of one of the parks mascots.

                “Gage. Gage talk to me.” She said frantically as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out the smaller container that held her first aid supplies. She flipped it open and pulled out a stimpak, ramming it into his shoulder. She heard the hiss as it released its contents, then tossed it to the side. She repeated this with the remaining four stimpaks she had.

                “Gage, c’mon man.” She said, moving to take off his armor. It had been crushed into him, one of the front bars had been shorn off, and the clamps on the side of it that kept it on him were jammed. She smashed at them with the butt of her gun, causing heart wrenching groans to come from the man before her. Finally the clamps came loose, and the armor popped forward, having been released from the pressure it had been forced into. Gage made a gasping noise, and she realized the armor had been preventing him from drawing a full breath. Olivia carefully pulled at it, watching as the gnarled edges by his shoulder pulled out of the wound. She got it over his head with some effort, and tossed it to the side, hearing the heavy _thunk_ it made as it hit the wooden floor. She stripped off the ragged tank top he wore under it, flinging it behind her.

                “Gage, talk to me.” She said, and her heart leapt as his eye opened. It struggled to focus on her.

                “Fuck.” Was all he said, and then closed his eye again. Olivia’s hand flew to his neck, checking his pulse. It was fast, but there. He had just passed out, she thought. She turned her attention to the wound now, which had begun to stop bleeding, though not before creating quite a large puddle she was currently leaning in. The stimpaks were working however, and no more than a trickle of blood seeped out from what she could now see was a gaping claw mark that ran from the top of his left shoulder down his chest where the armor had cut into him and into his rib cage. She could see the sinew beneath his skin, red and raw.

                She began cleaning it as best she could, drawing the edges of the largest gash together with duct tape (it worked for everything), before wrapping the wound with a length of clean-ish linen she had scavenged for gauze. She checked the pulse at his neck again, still fast, but steady. She tried to shake him awake again.

                “Gage. Gage wake up.” She called loudly. His eye twitched, but stayed stubbornly closed.

                “Gage!” She yelled, and was rewarded with his eye opening once more.

                “Why are you so loud?” He asked quietly, and she let an almost manic laugh escape her lips.

                “Gage, how do you feel?” She asked, snapping a finger in front of his face as his eye began to droop closed again. He made a feeble attempt to swat her hand away. His eye focused on her face, squinting at her.

                “Why is your face bloody?” He asked, ignoring her question. She shook her head, trying to dismiss it, but felt his hand meet her cheek gently. He made a weak attempt to wipe the blood away, and she grabbed his hand, placing it gently back beside him.

                “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” She said, voice quivering slightly. He narrowed his eye at her.

                “I guess I’m not, huh?” He asked weakly and she looked at him, brows drawn together questioningly.

                “You haven’t called me a fucking idiot yet. Must be real bad.” He said, and a grumble went through his chest that Olivia thought was an attempt at a laugh. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, and wondered why she was crying now, of all times.

                “Well you are an idiot, Gage. And it’s not fair. You don’t get to die this way.” She said, stifling a gasp as the adrenaline began fading from her body. Gage looked at her, eyebrow raised.

                “You don’t get to die getting taken down by a Gatorclaw. It’s not fair. I get almost taken out by a fucking bug and your idiot self gets to be attacked by a Gatorclaw?” She said through a smile, feeling the tears roll down her face in earnest now. The corners of Gage’s mouth twitched up in an attempt at a smirk.

                “Would make a pretty great story, huh Boss?” He asked, his eye closing again.

                “Don’t call me that.” She said weakly. Gage grinned again.

                “You love it.” He said softly.

                She realized then that maybe she did.


	14. Orange Colored Sky

                She woke with a start, still feeling the heat of her dream tingling her skin. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and when she did, her heart skipped a beat and she looked around frantically.

                Gage’s body was still on the floor, a couple feet from where she lay. She scrambled over to him and checked the pulse in his neck. She let her breath out in a long sigh as the heartbeat pounded out beneath her fingers. He groaned a bit, but stayed asleep, and she slid back from him, watching his chest rise and fall in the dawning light.

                She had let him fall asleep the night before, keeping a watchful eye on him as she took stock of herself and the place they now found themselves. The treehouse was fairly small, the bottom floor had a Nuka-Cola machine and a bench on a slight balcony, and the top floor held a little soda bar with some tables and chairs. She found a couple stimpaks in the pockets of some long dead soldiers that had attempted to make the treehouse their last stand, it seemed. She placed these away safely, in case she needed them later.

                She had then returned to take watch over the Raider, watching him breathe until she had fallen asleep herself, the rain still pattering on the roof of the treehouse. She had dreamed then, mostly of her life before the bombs, glimpses of Shaun as a baby, and snippets of a beach she had visited as a child, but then her dream had taken a sharp turn. She had dreamed of Gage and the night they had fought after Galactic Zone. She had dreamed of his hands roaming her body, of the feeling of his mouth on her skin. She could still feel the residual shivers flow through her at the memory.

                She shook herself, trying to forget the dream, just as she had tried to forget the incident itself. She looked at him now, shirtless and pale, pink spots showing through the makeshift bandages on his chest. He was big, barrel chested and muscular, but laying there as he did, he looked smaller somehow, less formidable. Her eyes traveled to his face, outlining his strong brow, and the nose that had been broken too many times, that now lay flat and crooked, but somehow still suited the rest of his features.

                She chewed her bottom lip, tasting blood as she opened one of the small cuts from the bottle cap shrapnel. She didn’t care however, her thoughts were somewhere else, thinking about the Raider and about how she had felt, seeing him underneath the foot of the Gatorclaw. The memory kept running through her head, causing tickles of panic to surge through her, so she had to keep reminding herself that he was alright, or at least, wasn’t dead.

                She ran a hand over her face and watched the sun for a bit as it came up, pink and orange, over the horizon. She couldn’t be having these feelings for Gage, she thought. He was a Raider, everything she fought against, everything she didn’t stand for. He had basically held her here against her will, for Christ’s sake. Yet she couldn’t deny the tremor of fear she felt when she thought of how close she was to losing him. And she couldn’t deny that dreaming of him had been the best dream she had had in a long time.

                “Fuck.” She muttered under her breath, and shifted, pulling her pack to her and grabbing a container of purified water. She chugged some, then moved to Gage on the floor and reached out to touch him. His hand shot out and grabbed hers as she did so, startling her and making her almost spill the water. His eye sprang open and saw her, and he tried unsuccessfully to sit up. Olivia put a hand out on his chest, trying to calm him.

                “Gage stop moving. You’re hurt.” She said, as soothingly as she could. He squinted at her, but stopped trying to sit up, instead letting go of her hand and reaching to the bandages on his chest.

                “What happened?” He rasped, and she held the water to his lips to drink. He gulped it gratefully and relaxed a bit, though he watched her warily.

                “You don’t remember? You almost got cut in half by a Gatorclaw.” She said, using the back of her hand to check his forehead. Thankfully it was cool. He shook his head slightly, as though to clear it.

                “Oh shit, that was real? Thought I was dreaming.” He said softly through gritted teeth. Olivia shook her head.

                “How do you feel?” She asked. He shot her a look.

                “Like I got cut in half by a Gatorclaw, how am I supposed to fuckin’ feel?” He said, rather harshly. Olivia slid back, watching him. He clenched and unclenched his left hand, grimacing as he did so.

                “How did we get in the tree?” He said, voice now with less of an edge. Olivia cleared her throat.

                “I dragged you up here. There’s an elevator.” She said, pointing to the yellow construction lift behind them. He glanced at it and back to her.

                “What happened to your face?” He asked, and she was suddenly aware that she hadn’t tried to clean herself up at all. She could feel the dried blood peeling away as she spoke. She waved a dismissive hand at him.

                “Too close to a bottlecap mine. I’m fine, really.” She said, and suddenly remembered the feeling of his hand on her face the night before, as he tried to wipe the blood off her even as he lay hurt. She pushed the thought out of her mind.

                “You look like shit.” He said, and tried again to sit up, ignoring Olivia’s protests. He succeeded this time, and after taking a moment to clear himself, looked around the room.

                “You don’t look much better.” Olivia retorted. Gage scoffed quietly, running a hand down his bandaged side. He saw the pile of discarded stimpaks and gestured to them.

                “You used all them on me?” He asked. Olivia nodded and he shook his head.

                “Shoulda just let me bleed to death. I ain’t worth that many stimpaks.” He said. This made the heat rise in Olivia’s cheeks. She cleared her throat, which had started to choke up for some reason.

                “I think I’ll be the judge of whether you’re worth them or not.” She said coldly. He eyed her dubiously.

                “I’m just sayin’ I wouldn’t have used that many on-“ Olivia snorted, cutting him off.

                “I saved you last night and all you can say is that I shouldn’t have used that many stimpaks on you?” She said angrily. Gage’s pale face suddenly flushed in irritation.

                “I’m saying you shouldn’t have saved me in the first place. You’re the Overboss; you should have just left me and got the hell out of here. Can’t afford to find a new one at this point.” He said, his words trailing to a mumble towards the end. Olivia stared at him dumbly.

                “What the fuck is wrong with you? I jumped on a god-damned alligator-Super Mutant- Deathclaw hybrid, and almost blew myself up and you’re saying I should have just left you? Why didn’t you just leave me when I got bit by the bloodworm, huh? It’s the same, Gage!” She said, her voice rising. He shook his head.

                “No, no it ain’t. I’m not important here, you are. If you die-“

                “Oh, boo-hoo if I die you have to find some other poor fuck to clear your parks for you, huh? And what happens to me if you die? We both know I wouldn’t have even made it past Colter if it wasn’t for you.” She said, trying to stop tears of frustration from breaking through.

                “You would have made it, with or without me.” He said, a note of confidence in his voice that almost made her believe him. She shook her head.

                “Why are you arguing with me about this? I saved you just like you would have done for me, and-“

                “Because what good am I if I can’t protect you? You could have died last night and all because I was too much of an idiot to get out of the way of the fucking thing?” He yelled. Olivia sat back, stunned for a moment. Gage cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.

                “I mean, you’re the Overboss. I have to protect the Overboss, that’s my job, and last night I failed.” He said, the words tumbling out. Olivia blinked at him. It was quiet for a moment.

                “You’re a fucking idiot.” She finally said, quietly.

                “Yeah, well you’re the one who got us stuck in a tree.” Gage said, gingerly stretching his arm out in front of him. She watched him, feeling the heat ebbing out of her.

                “You don’t have to protect me all the time, Gage. I do a good job of that on my own. But I do need an advisor if I’m gonna keep doing this, and that means keeping you alive, whether you like it or not.” She said, avoiding his gaze. The sun was up now, and she could feel that the day was going to be hot. Gage sighed exasperatedly, but made no more arguments. It was quiet for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

                “Flynn?” Gage asked after a while. Olivia looked at him expectantly.

                “Were you…crying last night?” He asked, the corner of his mouth turning up.

                “Don’t flatter yourself. It was pouring rain, remember?” She said, trying to sound sincere. He snorted.

                “Sure Boss.”

 

 

                Olivia had been right in observing that the treehouse would be a good vantage point to survey the lands around them. She not only could see the whole of Safari Adventure below them, but could see far out over the rest of the parks, seeing the bottling plant a little ways a way, and Kiddie Kingdom in the distance, the green miasma of radiation visible above it. She made some notes on her Pip-boy, and used some binoculars to check out the rest of Safari Adventure, making sure there were no more obvious Gatorclaws lurking below.

                “I’m definitely putting the Pack in here. They can deal with any more of those fucking things that may be hiding around the place.” She said to Gage, who sat now on a bench, and was re-bandaging his side. The stimpaks had done well, the wound was well on its way to scabbing now, only the deepest part of the gash still shiny with blood.

                “Told ya’ you’d give them a park.” He said, pressing the area around his shoulder. Olivia shot him a look. He was grimacing, trying to wrap strips of cloth around himself again. Olivia stomped over to him.

                “Stop, let me.” She said, taking the makeshift bandage away from him and deftly wrapping him back up. He was staring at the wall as she did so, and her at her hands. She cleared her throat as she finished, and he mumbled thanks to her.

                “Now what?” He asked a bit later. It was sweltering out now, the heat creating a nasty humidity from the rain the day before. She was sitting on the floor, reorganizing her bag after the craziness of the night before. She looked up at him.

                “Now I guess we wait here until you can move, then we go tell Cito that the monsters are gone, and then head back to Nuka-Town.” She said, putting her (much lighter) first aid kit back in the satchel.

                “What are you gonna do about him?” Gage asked, gesturing vaguely towards the primate house where Cito and his family lived. She shrugged.

                “I dunno. He was here first. I guess I’ll ask him if it’s okay that some friends move in here, tell him they won’t hurt him and all. See what he says.” She said. Gage shook his head, chuckling silently to himself.

                “And what would you do? Kill him?” She said coldly. Gage seemed to take no notice of her tone however. He grinned.

                “Y’know, before I met you, probably I would have.” He said. She smirked at him.

                “Aww, are you going soft on me?” She teased. Gage scowled at her.

                “Be careful or I’ll change my mind.” He said. She raised her hands in a conciliatory gesture and let the topic drop, but couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth in her chest at the Raider’s change of heart.

                “Well let’s get this show on the road then.” He said, and stood, swaying a bit. He steadied himself with a hand on the treehouse wall, then let go, walking towards his discarded armor.

                “Wait, we should wait until you’re 100%. You lost a lot of blood last night and I don’t need you passing out on me.” Olivia protested. Gage was surveying the trashed armor, picking it up with a grunt of pain and turning it to and fro, before trying to wrestle it on over his head.

                “I’m fine, and I’ll be better once we’re back in Nuka-Town and I’m sleepin’ in my own bed, not on some treehouse floor 40 feet in the air.” He said, still trying to adjust the armor over the bandaged part of him. Olivia was standing now, watching him and wondering what she should do. He was still pale, but he seemed determined.

                “At least leave that behind, it’s trashed!” She objected. He looked at her, scandalized.

                “This is my armor; I ain’t just leaving it to walk around shirtless, much as you’d like it.” He said with a wry smile. Olivia gaped at him.

                “I’m gonna ignore that. But c’mon Gage, what if we run into another Gatorclaw, you’re in no shape to take one down, let alone run from one.” She pleaded, but he was already on his way to the lift.

                “We’ll just hope we don’t meet one then, huh?” He said through a grin.

 

 

                Cito had been ecstatic to see them, admitting that he had thought they had died “like the wrinkly man”. Olivia told him her plans to let the Pack in the park, to which Cito had no qualms, even stating that he would like to have “new friends” around. With an awkward wave and a wary glance at the “ghoulrillas”, the two had left the park, slowly but surely putting the awful place behind them. Gage was having a harder time then he let on, but Olivia didn’t say anything, just kept a watchful eye on him.

                They had stopped for the third time since leaving the park (“Just a water break” Gage kept saying), and the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. Olivia had hoped to make it back to Fizztop before full dark, but she didn’t know if they would make it. Gage was looking pale, and it looked like one of the gashes on his side had opened back up, but he was making a stubborn point to ignore it.

                They sat together, sipping water on an upturned trashcan. They were almost to the outskirts of Dry Rock Gulch; Olivia could see the Disciples flag flying high above the place even from where they sat. If they had to she supposed they could camp there for the night, but she didn’t think Gage would be keen on that idea.

                “I been thinking about something.” Gage said, putting his bottle away and standing. He waited for Olivia to join him, and then they began walking again. Olivia glanced at the metal armor he wore, wincing sympathetically as she saw it digging into his bare shoulders. He seemed to take little notice.

                “Hmm?” Olivia hummed in question, while looking around them for the hundredth time, scanning for any threats. Gage cleared his throat.

                “Well, the way I see it, if you let me die in that maze, you’d have solved all your problems.” He said. Olivia swallowed hard.

                “How do you figure?” She asked, trying to keep her voice level.

                “If I got killed by that fucking thing, you coulda’ escaped and just left. Hell, you didn’t even have to go back to Nuka-Town, you coulda’ just made for the monorail and fucked off back to the Commonwealth.” He said. Olivia nodded for him to continue.

                “No one would have even suspected anything, they all would have just thought we died in Safari Adventure. No harm done. But you still tried damn hard to keep my ass alive.” He said, the question being implied in this last sentence. Olivia looked intently at the horizon.

                The thought had indeed crossed her mind, once, fleeting, the previous night after making sure Gage was not going to bleed out, and again in the morning after waking from her dream. He was right, if she had left him to die, she could have gone back to her life before following the radio signal, but still, in the moment, she hadn’t hesitated. She thought back to that moment, seeing the Gatorclaw rip Gage off his feet right in front of her, watching it crush him and tear at him. A shudder ran through her as she relived it and she forced down the adrenaline that threatened to overcome her again. She thought that that feeling, the one of absolute fear of him dying was her answer. In some fucked up way, she truly cared about what happened to Gage.

                “Weeks of me telling you I’m not a Raider and you still need to ask why I didn’t leave you there?” She began. He eyed her questioningly and she continued.

                “That’s not the kind of person I am. I wouldn’t leave you to die just because I might be able to leave sooner.” She said.

                “You probably should have just left me. I was weak; I let that thing get the jump on me.” He said. Olivia scoffed loudly.

                “You’re a fucking idiot. That whole “strong versus weak” bullshit you got going on is exactly that; bullshit.” She said, voice scathing. Now it was his turn to scoff.

                “That’s the way of the wasteland, Boss. You gotta know that.” He said. Olivia shook her head.

                “But it’s not. People can help each other. People can be strong for others, and that doesn’t mean that some are weak and some aren’t. People have different skills and abilities and opportunities to help others that some people don’t have. Doesn’t mean that the people that don’t have the same skills or opportunities that I have don’t deserve to benefit from them. I saved you because I had the opportunity to, not because I was stronger than you. Everything doesn’t have to be “you versus everything else”.” She said, not knowing if she was making sense. Gage was quiet for a while. They were almost back to Nuka Town by this point, the conversation having distracted Gage somewhat from the uncomfortable state he was in. She couldn’t see in the dying light, but thought he still must be very pale.

                “Plus, call me crazy, but I might have some weird sort of stake in finishing this now.” She said suddenly. Gage made an odd noise in his throat and she could sense his eye on her.

                “I mean, if I gain the trust of a bunch of Raiders, maybe I can have some kind of influence over the havoc you cause. Keep you from fucking up all the work I’ve done in the Commonwealth.” She finished. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Gage spoke again.

                “You really are something else, Flynn.”


	15. Dear Hearts and Gentle People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15! I'm so glad you're all enjoying it so far! Here's a pretty long chapter, with one of my favorite scenes I've written so far at the end. I hope you like it! I wanted to shout out to a few people in the comments Boomslang, pip_girl_111, Eyemtak, and vlalekat! Your comments keep me going and make me confident that my writing is having an impact! Thank you so much!

 

 

                Nuka-Town was quiet as they finally rolled in, the sun having long set, and made straight for the lift to Fizztop. As they got to it, Gage nodded to her and started off towards his shack. Olivia reached out and put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

                “Wait, Gage I was thinking-,” She started. He looked at her expectantly. She could see the exhaustion lining his face.

                “-I thought maybe you could sleep up at Fizztop. Inside the apartment, I mean. There are two beds, and it has to be comfier than your mattress on the ground, not to mention cleaner. And that way you wouldn’t have to worry as much about infection, and-“ She rambled. He cocked a brow at her.

                “You sure Boss? People will talk.” He said, half sarcastically. She laughed.

                “Let them talk. Whatever. It will be better for you.” She said. He shrugged, and then winced at the pain the motion caused.

                “Alright then.” He said, heading back towards the lift.

                They rode up in silence and bid each other goodnight, Gage going inside hastily. Olivia dropped her bag and weapons in a heap on the ground and went gratefully to the bed on the small platform in the corner of the room, collapsing onto it with a sigh. She heard the heavy “thud” of Gage’s armor hitting the floor in the other room, and then it was still. She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts run through her head unbidden.

                She ran the past two days events back over in her head for the hundredth time that day, from entering Safari Adventure, to finding Cito and his family, to clearing the park of the Gatorclaws, to her fateful decision to go into the maze to try to reach the treehouse. She tried to find some other reason for the feelings that pulled in her chest when she thought of the Raider. Stockholm syndrome maybe? She shook her head, dismissing it. Sure, she was basically a hostage, but she wasn’t coming around to his way of thinking, she was just stuck here, with him. Maybe it was simple proximity, and when she left (whenever that would be) the feelings would fade away. And maybe it was just having someone that had her back, unconditionally, in the inhospitable wasteland the world had become.

                She tried not to think that the “altercation” they had that night after Galactic Zone could have anything to do with it. Though as she closed her eyes, she found herself thinking that she wouldn’t mind dreaming about it again.

 

                She awoke peacefully the next day, late from what she could tell from the height of the sun. She stretched languidly and sat up, looking around. Gage was sitting at the bar, hunched over a bowl of dry Sugar Bombs and staring at the park map. He was shirtless, just the haphazard bandages covering the worst parts of the Gatorclaw gash. She watched him for a moment, then realized what she was doing and shook herself.

                “How do you feel this morning?” She asked, pulling a ratty flannel shirt on over her under shirt. He stirred and looked at her, a bit startled, as though realizing she was there for the first time. He must not have heard her wake up.

                “Fine. Better than yesterday. Those stimpaks really do their job, especially when you got a ton of them pumped into you.” He said, a slight edge to his voice. Olivia laughed humorlessly and joined him at the bar.

                “It was five stimpaks. Five!” She protested. He smirked at her.

                “Sure sure. Whatever Boss.” He said. Olivia rolled her eyes.

                “So what’s on the agenda today?” She asked, gesturing at the park map he held. He shrugged cautiously, testing the wounded shoulder.

                “Well I need a new shirt. And I need to fix my armor.” He said, pointing a booted foot at the mangled metal husk of his yellow armor.

                “Yeah you walking out of here shirtless isn’t gonna do much for people’s opinions.” Olivia said. Gage eyed her, his good eye looking her up and down quickly. He shrugged again.

                “Eh, well. Can’t be helped I guess. Anyways you get to go tell the Pack they get to move into that fucking hell-hole out there.” He said, dropping the map on the bar. Olivia grimaced at the thought of having to go speak with Mason face to face again. Gage caught her expression.

                “Need me to go with? I can always pick up a shirt and fix that mess later.” He said with a glance at the armor again. Olivia shook her head.

                “No, I can do it. Just not looking forward to that smell again.”

 

 

                The pair did garner a lot of attention on their way to the Marketplace. Raiders and traders exchanged glances or just outright stared as the two made their way through the Nuka-Town thoroughfare. They ignored it, and with an agreement to meet back at the Marketplace when Olivia was done, they parted ways.

                Olivia took a deep breath as she stood outside the amphitheater. Even from outside she could begin to smell the acrid musk that permeated the air around the place. She set her shoulders and pushed in the door, almost stopping as the wave of unwashed man and animal hit her in the face. As she entered, the place fell silent. The Pack members who were in the courtyard of the stadium stopped and turned to look at her, some standing, some locked in a frozen wrestling match (which seemed to vary between wrestling other humans or random animals). She strode as confidently as she could to the makeshift throne that Mason sat on. A couple of scantily dressed Raiders scampered away from him as she approached, softly giggling as they passed her.

                “And so the mighty Overboss finally decides to grace the Pack with her presence!” Mason boomed, his eyes glinting as he locked them on her. She smirked, playing to him. She had known this would be a chore.

                “Nice to see you too, Mason. I think you left something of yours in my bed a while ago. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t keep it around.” She said sarcastically. His face remained impassive, but she thought the corner of his mouth twitched.

                “Just a small token from the Pack. We wanted to make sure we weren’t forgotten.” Mason said, his voice icy.

                “No way I could forget you lot. The smell alone is enough to remind everyone you’re here.” She retorted. Olivia was aware of the number of eyes boring into her back.

                “And where is your handler Gage today? He finally let you off your leash?” Mason asked, almost casually. Olivia felt the heat rise to her cheeks, but kept her voice calm and steady.

                “Oh he’s around.” She said, watching warily as the man in front of her stood and closed the gap between them. She had to force herself not to take a step back. He towered over her, obviously trying to intimidate her.

                “From what my little birds tell me, he’s more than just _around_ for you, huh Overboss?” He said, his voice dropping into something between threatening and flirtatious. Olivia swallowed hard, but kept her ground, staring daggers at him.

                “Your little birds are wildly misinformed.” She said through almost gritted teeth. She could smell the sweat off Mason, almost overpowering even amidst the other scents in the place.

                “I’m not so sure about that, _Boss._ ” He said, his last word coming out in a mockery of Gage’s accent. He reached a hand up and made to caress her cheek. A mistake he would come to regret as she reacted swiftly, catching his wrist in both her hands and turning her body, and in one swift motion of pulling and slightly lifting, had used his weight and height against him and flipped him over her, tossing him down the few steps that his “throne” sat on.

                She kept hold of one of his wrists as he fell, twisting it to keep her position over him, and pressed a booted foot just below his neck between his collarbones. He was wheezing, his eyes bulging in surprise. She had knocked the wind out of him, and he was struggling to regain his composure, coughing and sputtering under her foot. The arena became deathly quiet, all eyes on them now. Mason began to move, trying to get up, but Olivia wrenched back the wrist she still held, forcing him to stay still.

                “Do. Not. Touch. Me.” She said, leaning in and whispering to him. Her eyes were locked on his, and she could see the surprise and pain fading into anger. She kept the hold on him for a second longer, and then tossed the hand away, leaping back from him as he shot up, still gasping and rubbing a hand along his neck.

                “You dare to-“ He gasped, but Olivia was already turning to leave.

                “The Pack has control of Safari Adventure. Move in at your leisure, but mind my friend, he is kind of… wild.” She yelled over her shoulder. She was rounding the corner to leave and stopped, turning to look back to the Pack leader.

                “And Mason, good luck. Safari Adventure has some nasty stuff living there. Would _hate_ for anything to happen to you.” She said, not bothering to guard the sarcasm in her voice. Then she turned and wrenched the door open, smiling to herself at the deafening silence that still hung in the air.

 

                “You did what?!” Gage exclaimed, causing several people in the market to turn and look at him. Olivia had found him shortly after meeting Mason and filled him in on what had transpired, taking a small pleasure at watching the disbelief build in his face.

                “He tried to touch me. Tried to intimidate me. I just showed him what I thought of that.” She said, watching as Gage’s hands dropped away from his armor, which he had sat on a workbench in front of him. He had found another tank top, this one black, and had it on now. He sighed in exasperation.

                “Yeah well, Mason ain’t gonna take kindly to that. I hate to think of what you’re gonna find in your bed now. And don’t-,” He said as she made to protest, “-even think of bringing whatever it is to me and dropping it in _my_ bed again.”

                “You would have done the same. It made my skin crawl, how he said it. “ _My little birds”_ he said. Gross.” She said, mocking Mason’s voice so well that Gage let out a surprised laugh.

                “Still. Maybe I should have come with you anyways.” He said, turning back to his armor. He had succeeded in bending the metal back from the side where it had been crushed, and now was attempting to re-attach a bar to the front of it.

                “I dunno. He said you were my “handler”. Maybe it was better I went by myself, showed them that I can take care of things without you around.” She said, trying and failing to be delicate about it. He eyed her, and then rolled his eye skyward.

                “You can’t take what Mason says to heart. I ain’t your “handler”, and you know it, and I know it, so that’s all that matters. But if I can be there to smooth things over…” He said, voice trailing off. Olivia sighed.

                “Look, that “show them who’s boss” shit might work with the Operators, and maybe even with the Disciples, but the Pack works on some kind of animal hierarchy shit. You just embarrassed the Alpha in front of all his men. That could have used some smoothing over.” He said. Olivia let the pride she had felt at her accomplishment fade a bit.

                “Well as usual Gage, you’re probably right.” She agreed, looking down to her boots. He gasped theatrically.

                “Gosh, can I get that engraved somewhere?” He called out dramatically around him, causing people in the market to gaze sidelong at them. Olivia punched him playfully.

                “Still, I’d give my left nut to have seen Mason’s face when you-“ He said, gesturing to her small frame, “-somehow managed to toss him like a limp molerat.” She smiled, remembering Mason’s shocked, bug eyed look.

                “Yeah, it was pretty great.” She conceded, letting some of the pride flow back into her.

                “How much longer are you gonna be on that?” She asked, gesturing to the armor. Gage wiped his brow and shrugged.

                “Eh, I dunno. Not much longer I think. Just gotta get this bar back on and fix the clamps on the side-“He said, turning a wry eye to her, “-then I’ll be good to go.”

                “Alright. Maybe I’ll go replenish the “ton” of stimpaks I used on you.” She teased. Gage grunted and waved her off. She looked around the market and spotted the makeshift clinic, as well as the slave she had spoken with the first day she had arrived. Olivia approached and could see she was making notes on a clipboard. She was still very skinny, the dirty rags she wore hanging off her bony frame.

                “Oh, Overboss! Good to see you today. What can I help you with?” She said, her voice wavering with what Olivia hoped wasn’t fear, but remaining bright.

                “Just looking for some stimpaks.” She said as politely as she could. The slave nodded and Olivia could see the red, raw ring that encircled her neck below the collar she wore.

                “What’s your name?” Olivia asked. The slave looked startled as she rifled through a box behind the counter. She pulled out a smaller box of medical supplies and stood, avoiding Olivia’s eyes.

                “Um, Mackenzie Bridgeman, Overboss.” She said quietly, looking around. Olivia smiled as reassuringly as she could to her.

                “Just call me Olivia. And please, don’t be scared of me.” She said. Mackenzie eyed her but let a small tentative smile slide over her face. She pulled out four stimpaks and placed them on the cracked wooden counter in front of her.

                “Here, all I have in stock today.” Mackenzie said brightly, pushing them towards her. Olivia pulled her bag around, beginning to dig in it for her caps, but Mackenzie shook her head.

                “No, no charge for you today, um, Olivia.” She said, the name coming out so quiet that Olivia wasn’t sure she had said it. She smiled broadly, but pulled out one of the small pouches of caps she kept within the larger bag and placed it on the table.

                “Keep that for yourself then. Our secret.” Olivia said pushing the bag across the table discreetly and sweeping the stimpaks into her pack. Mackenzie looked as though she was going to refuse, but Oliva just nodded at her and turned away before she could protest. Her heart was hammering in her chest, just as it had when she had first encountered the slaves. The anger she felt at seeing the collars flamed her cheeks. She spotted Gage, who was pulling the armor on and testing the clamps on the sides, seeing if they closed. She strode up to him.

                “I’m going back to Fizztop. I’ll be there if you need me.” She said shortly. Gage raised a brow at her.

                “Alright boss, but I’m almost finished here.” He said, gesturing at the workbench. Olivia waved a dismissive hand at him.

                “Well you can find me there when you’re done.” She said, and turned to leave, feeling his eyes on her as she stomped out of the market.

 

               

                She was pacing back and forth on the patio of Fizztop, kicking at small pebbles that had fallen from the ceiling over the years. They skittered and landed in random places around the quickly darkening room. She was fuming, anger boiling under the surface of her skin, making her hot and driving more irritation into her. She had gotten comfortable, had pushed the slaves to the back burner, when they were the reason she had agreed to this fucking job in the first place. She cursed herself for not trying harder, for not doing more to let them free. She had been here for weeks, and all the slaves probably saw was a new Overboss, doing the bidding of the Raiders that kept them hostage here for so long. Every time she thought she had a cap on the anger, a vision of Mackenzie Bridgeman, neck clad in the explosive collar rose up in her mind, bringing with it a new wave of fury.

                She was still pacing when she heard the lift creak up and Gage step off. He was once more wearing his armor, which was repaired to almost pre-Gatorclaw status, aside from some scratches and mismatched metals. The sun was almost below the horizon now, and he watched her warily in the dim light, as two predators watch each other, unsure who would strike first. Olivia breathed deeply and whirled on him, forcing calm on herself.

                “I’m not clearing another park until the slaves are set free.” She said, surprising herself at the declaration. Gage’s brow rose, then furrowed.

                “Again with the slaves?” He said, and his face showed that he immediately regretted saying it. She narrowed her eyes at him.

                “Yes, again with the slaves!” She said, mocking his accent. “They’re the reason I let you talk me into this in the first place!” She said, voice rising in irritation.

                “I don’t-“ Gage started, but she cut him off.

                “I thought that if I worked hard enough and did what you Raiders wanted that I could convince you to let them go, to open the market up for real traders to come in. People that wouldn’t cower in fear when you do business with them.” She growled. Gage watched her, but wisely kept silent.

                “And now, I’m joking with you, “Right hand of the Overboss” right in front of them, making them think that I’ve forgotten, that I’m no better than Colter was. That they have no hope.” She said, her voice fading weakly at this last sentence. Gage looked at her, brow still creased, but not anger on his face, instead, exasperation.

                “Flynn, I don’t know what to tell you… You’re not gonna convince hundreds of Raiders to change their ways, to let their free labor just…go.” He said, and she was surprised to find no malice in his voice as there had been when they had spoken of the slaves before.

                “But I don’t have to convince all of them. Just the bosses. I can set up real caravan routes here, I know it, but no one will come if they think they may be enslaved at the drop of a hat. I can turn Nuka-World into a real trade hub; bring in more caps for everyone with a caravan route, a legitimate one. But the slaves have to be gone.” She said, voice taking on a pleading tone. Gage watched her, thinking. Then suddenly he turned to the lift and pressed the button.

                “If I’m not back by morning, one of them probably slit my throat.” He called to her before disappearing below the edge of the building.

 

                Olivia had slept fitfully, dreams full of images of Gage in various states of injury, before being jerked from her doze by the sound of the lift. It was early morning, the sky just beginning to turn a dusty gray. She stood up, realizing that she hadn’t even taken her boots off the night before, and went to the edge, waiting for the elevator.

                “What happened?” She gasped as Gage came into view. He was standing, but his face was swollen, nose leaking blood and his good eye already sporting a large purple bruise. He shrugged, but stumbled off the lift, letting Olivia guide him to one of the bar stools where he sat down heavily. She went around the other side of the bar and poured him a drink, pushing it to him so quickly that some of the liquid sloshed out. He took it and downed it in one gulp.

                “The slaves are to be freed today after sunrise.” He said finally, looking at her with what she thought was pride, but reading his face was difficult with how battered it was. Her face lit up, however.

                “Really? All of them? How? What did you do? And who did that to you?” She stammered, the questions falling out of her. He squeezed his bruised eye shut and shoved the glass back to her, which she hastily filled again and returned to him. He only sipped this one, and then sighed, resigning himself to tell the story.

                “Yes, all of them. And I just spoke to the bosses, like you said. Mags and William were the most agreeable to it, seeing as how your plan with the caravans makes sense, and all those two see is caps whenever they close their eyes.” He said, wincing as he spoke. He reached a hand in his mouth as though checking the integrity of his teeth, and then satisfied, returned the hand to the glass of alcohol.

                “Nisha was harder to convince. She caught a lot of those slaves in the Gauntlet, y’know.” He said, looking at Olivia with a tired eye. Olivia nodded non-commitally and reached under the bar, pulling out a dirty cloth. She wet it with some of the alcohol and handed it to him, gesturing to his nose. He took it and began to dab the blood away.     

                “I just told her you had no intention of shutting the Gauntlet down, just wanted no more slaves so that more traders would be willing to do business here. She was amenable to that.” He said. Olivia silently pushed thoughts of the Gauntlet away. That was a battle for another time.

                “Mason though…” Gage said, mouth cracking into a cynical smile. Olivia winced at the thought of Mason. Gage saw this and nodded.

                “Well Mason, still being a tad…upset… at your meeting from earlier was outright refusing to free them, no matter what I said.” He went on. Olivia pointed at his face.

                “So he did that to you?” She asked. Gage shook his head.

                “Not at first. We went back and forth for a bit, me trying to make him see the benefit of it, him so pig-headed that he wouldn’t let me get a word in sometimes. Eventually I think I wore him down though, and he finally agreed to it.” He said. Olivia raised a brow at him.

                “But then, as I was about to leave he…” He trailed off, as though not sure if he should continue. Olivia looked at him expectantly, heart in her throat.

                “Well he… he asked when he could have a turn with you.” He said bluntly. Olivia felt the heat rise in her cheeks and swallowed hard. Gage’s eye was turned to the glass in his hand. He had fought Mason then, for that remark, only stopping when the other man was knocked out. He had then come back to Fizztop.

                “You defended me?” She asked, although it was clear that he had. Gage shrugged self-consciously, mumbling something. Olivia felt the sudden urge to touch him, and reached out her hand, clasping it around his on the bar. She felt him stiffen, and thought he might pull away, but he didn’t.

                “Thank you, Gage.” She said, very softly. It was quiet for a while, and they stayed hand in hand, each not looking at the other, but feeling the nearness of one another, comforted by the others presence. Eventually, Gage shifted, and she pulled her hand away. His mouth quirked up in a smirk.

                “Yeah well, the Overboss gets what she wants, remember?”


	16. Accentuate the Positive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long update time, I've been so busy at work and then I was really sick, but I'm back! Hope you enjoy!

               She had insisted that he go sleep in the inner apartment of Fizztop, and he hadn’t protested. He told her to wake him when the sun was full up to go oversee the release of the slaves. She had agreed reluctantly, feeling that he needed more sleep than a few meager hours, but agreeing nonetheless. He had gone inside, and she heard the drop of his armor on the floor, and then silence.

                She spent the next few hours tittering around the patio, straightening things and reorganizing her bag. She took stock of their supplies and made a list with a broken piece of charcoal from the fire barrel and a scrap of paper of things to replenish. It was a short list, and when she had finished she sighed. She had been trying to keep her mind from wandering too much, from thinking about the charge in the air when their hands had touched. She tried to keep herself from thinking about how he had defended her, even when he didn’t have to, even knowing it would probably cause more problems.

                She couldn’t help thinking about him though, about the scope of what he had done for her, and at the cost to him. He had gone to the bosses to convince them to free the slaves for her, knowing full well that if they weren’t agreeable to her terms, he could be killed, or at least, the respect he had worked so hard for could have been lost. And always, the thoughts led back to the touch.

                She clenched her fist, remembering the feel of his hand in hers, big and warm. She remembered the roughened knuckles and cracked skin, hands worn from years of working to keep himself alive. She shuddered, remembering the other time those hands had touched her, roaming her skin and resting on her neck.

                She shook herself, tearing her thoughts back to the present. The sun was up now, it might have been around 10 in the morning, but she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t as good about telling the time by the sun as Gage was. She hesitated, wondering if she should wait a bit longer before waking him, but told herself that he would probably be upset already at her for letting him sleep this long. She went to the door to the apartment, took a breath, and pushed inside.

 

                It was dark, and stifling hot. There was a reason she chose to sleep out in the open air of the patio. The inside of the old restaurant had no windows, and the air hung stagnant around her. A lantern was lit in the corner, casting the tiniest of lights around the room, so she could see the bed, and the large form that slept there. He was breathing heavily, not quite snoring, which was surprising, given the state of his nose. She approached cautiously, having never been the one to wake him, save for when she had tossed the Brahmin head onto him, and she hadn’t been concerned with how he had reacted then.

                He had removed his shirt for sleep, and little wonder with how hot it was. She could see the lines of his body, hard and muscular, though relaxed in sleep. He looked almost peaceful, from what she could see through the bruises and dried blood on his face. For a moment, she almost didn’t want to wake him, but thought better of it. He would want to be there when the slaves were freed.

                “Gage?” She said softly, and reached out a tentative hand to touch his shoulder. The moment she touched him, his hand shot out, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. She gasped and toppled over, catching her knee on the frame of the bed before being unceremoniously wrestled onto the mattress, half on top of Gage, who still had a rough grip on her arm.

                “It’s me!” She got out, trying to see in the dark what was happening. He was trying to sit up, but finding it difficult with her still on top of him. She tried to disentangle herself, but his grip prevented her moving much. She was wincing in pain, torn between trying to wrench her arm away, and trying to go limp to prevent his grip tightening more.

                “Shit, Flynn?” His voice, still gruff with sleep said in the dark. His hand released her arm and she was able to stand back up, beside the bed. Her heart was hammering, but she couldn’t tell if it was from fear, surprise, or just the close proximity of him.

                “Yeah, it’s me. You told me to wake you.” She said, rubbing absently at her arm. He squinted at her in the dim light, and blinked the remainder of sleep from his eye.

                “Oh, sorry. Yeah. Thanks.” He stammered, searching the bed. He found his shirt and pulled it on before standing.

                “Your arm alright?” He asked sheepishly. She nodded, and then realizing he probably couldn’t see her gesture in the dim light, spoke.

                “Yes. It’s fine. How’s your face?” She asked. He scoffed good-naturedly.

                “I’ll do.” He said, stooping to pick up his armor. He pulled it on over his head, lining up the shoulder guards before clamping it into place on the sides. He glanced at her and cleared his throat.

                “Say, Boss, how long were you trying to wake me up?” He asked quietly. She raised a brow at him and shrugged.

                “Not long. I just came it and tried to shake you and you…” She trailed off. Gage made an uncomfortable noise in his throat.

                “Why?” Olivia asked. Gage shrugged.

                “No reason, I just… no reason.” He said, heading now for the door to the patio.

                “Ready to go free some slaves?” He said, pulling the door open and letting the dazzling summer light flood in. Olivia nodded, though still eyeing him, and followed him out.

 

                There was a large crowd gathered in the market, all three of the factions represented. Olivia saw Mags and William Black, standing with Nisha in one corner, watching the milling about. Mason was nowhere to be seen.

                “Overboss.” Mags said cordially as they approached. Olivia nodded to her, then to the others and turned to look at the chaos that was surrounding them.

                “What’s going on?” She asked, suddenly on edge. Gage seemed unperturbed, which put her slightly at ease though.

                “Just waiting for the slaves to gather their things. Then they’ll line up to get their collars off.” William answered, peering on tip toe over the crowd.

                “Who takes them off?” Olivia asked. The bosses all turned to stare at her, almost comically in sync.

                “You, of course.” Mags purred. Olivia had come to almost like Mags and William; they weren’t as bloodthirsty as the other Raider gangs, and seemed to be more rational. She didn’t let her guard down though; she knew they were still ruthless and cunning.

                “Oh. Of course.” Olivia said, mouth suddenly dry. She hadn’t thought about it really, but it did make sense. The Overboss that wanted the slaves freed would make the most sense to be the one to actually free them.

                “Unless you’ve had a change of heart?” Quipped Nisha from beside her. Olivia shook her head vigorously.

                “No. I haven’t.” She said confidently. Nisha made what she interpreted as a disappointed noise from behind her mask.

                “Ah well, just be sure to make good on your word to bring in caravans.” She said, and all of the leaders turned to eye her. She stared at Nisha’s helmeted face.

                “I’ve made good on all my other promises, have I not?” She said, slipping ice into her voice. That caused Nisha to turn away, and small smiles to spread across Mags and William’s faces. Before anyone else could speak, the crowd began to jostle and move.

                “Here they come.” Gage said quietly, and Olivia felt his hand on the small of her back, urging her forward. She pushed through the crowd with Gage on her heels, moving until the press of Raiders parted and the ground in front of her was clear. She could see the group of slaves, still dressed in rags, with bundles of meager belongings at their sides. They were huddled together, faces unsure. Olivia walked towards them, and Mackenzie’s face brightened as she saw her.

                “Oh, Oliv- I mean, Overboss.” She said, voice quieting as she saw Gage behind her. Olivia smiled at her, and at the rest of them.

                “I told you things would be changing.” She said, and Mackenzie smiled shyly at her.

                “Thank you.” She said, eyes flitting from Olivia to Gage nervously.

                “Don’t mention it. Now, let’s get these things off.” Olivia said, gesturing to the collar. Someone from the crowd came forward and gave her a small key, which fit into the back of the collars. One by one she removed them, letting them fall into a pile near her feet. Once the last one was off, Olivia gestured to Mags, who approached cautiously.

                “Take them to the monorail. Make sure they get there unhindered.” She ordered. Mags nodded, side eyeing the group, and took off, the now-free slaves trailing behind her. Mackenzie turned before they exited the market, and gave an excited wave to Olivia, who returned it, though somewhat more subdued.

                There was an unrest that was palpable in the crowd. Most of the Raiders were confused still, or angry that the slaves had been freed. They either didn’t know, or didn’t care about the caravan deal that had been made between Olivia and the bosses. She steeled herself and walked to the center of the market, drawing herself up to her full height.

                “I know that to most of you, letting the slaves go seems “weak”. But I’m here to tell you, as your Overboss, that keeping them was the “weak” thing to do.” She said, her voice coming loud over the crowd, who all had, for the most part, turned to listen.

                “By keeping slaves to do your trading for you, you kept Nuka-World at status quo, never able to be anything more than a place to buy a few bullets or a stimpak. But with a full caravan route here, along with no threat of further enslavement-“ She said this with a pointed look at the crowd, whose attentions were rapt, “-Nuka-World will become a trading hub, bringing in more caps than you thought possible, and opening more opportunities for all of you.” She said, suddenly wondering if pumping more caps into a huge Raider camp like Nuka-World was the best idea, freed slaves or not.

                “Let it be known by all of you, that slavery will no longer be tolerated on Nuka-World property, per your Overboss.” She said, finishing strong. There were a couple whoops, and a few people made a feeble attempt at applause, but for the most part, the Raiders just went back to their business, milling about and leaving the market, the excitement now over.

                Gage nudged her elbow. She looked up at him to see a broad grin crossing his face. She couldn’t help but grin back.

                “You did good Boss. Good for your first time addressing everyone at least.” He said. She felt her chest puff a bit at that.

                “Thanks. Now I just need to set the caravans up and clear the rest of the parks and hope everyone stays happy.” She said, the smile fading from her face a bit.

                “We’ll do it.” He said. Olivia couldn’t help but notice his use of the word, “we”. They were getting ready to head out when a voice spoke from behind them.

                “Well, look who it is.” Came a deep velvet voice. Olivia and Gage turned to see a man in a long coat and fedora sidling up to them. His skin was darkened by the sun, and he had a greying goatee, but all of this was second to the air that he had around him. He oozed shadiness.

                “Shank. Didn’t expect to see you here.” Gage said, his voice restrained. Olivia perked up hearing it. If Gage was on edge seeing him, she figured she should be as well.

                “Well you know me, Gage. I like to go where the excitement is.” He said, turning his eyes from Gage back to her. She kept her face impassive as he surveyed her.

                “I’m liking what you’ve done with the place, boss. The gangs seem to be taking a liking to you, getting them their due and all. Well, most of them.” He amended, and she wondered how much everyone knew of her and Mason’s tussle, as well as Gage’s fight with him.

                “I’m Shank. And the fact you’re still standing here means that Gage must think you’re the one to get this place back on track.” He said, his gaze still locked on hers.

                “I’m working on it.” She said, unease growing in her chest. He laughed, a dry, barking sound.

                “So you are. But I must ask, what are your plans after you take the whole park back? Have you thought of that?” He asked. She raised a brow at him. Gage shifted uncomfortably.

                “I’ve been a bit busy to think of that.” She answered shortly. Shank smiled unsettlingly.

                “So Gage hasn’t talked you into moving on the Commonwealth then?” He asked. She made no answer, and he continued.

                “See, giving the gangs their own territories around the park is great and all, it will most likely make them trust you, but letting them carve out their own domains from the settlements in the Commonwealth, well that would seal the deal. They’d follow you into hell.” He said. Olivia resisted the urge to laugh in his face, to outright deny what he was suggesting, knowing that to do so would more than likely cause her hard earned trust with the gangs to disintegrate. She knew that to dismiss him, she would have to come up with a tactful excuse not to expand into the Commonwealth. And right now, she couldn’t think of one that wouldn’t have her killed on the spot.

                “And just where do you come into all this? I’ve never seen you around here before. Which gang do you belong to?” She asked, trying to think on her feet. Gage was behind her still, stiff as a board. She could feel irritation at him biting at her. Why didn’t he say something to get them out of this?

                “I don’t work for any of the gangs. Gage here brought me in to work with the Overboss. The plan was for me to advise Colter on expansion into the Commonwealth. Then we all saw what a shitshow that turned into.” He said, eyes flickering to Gage in that knowing way that she had seen when any of the leaders of the gangs mentioned Colter. The previous Overboss had been Gage’s biggest failure in their eyes, and people weren’t inclined to let him forget it.

                “Now I’m hoping that the day has finally come where my services will be appreciated.” He said, eyes back on Olivia, who struggled to keep open dislike from flooding her features. She cleared her throat tactfully.

                “I’ll have to think about it. I still have some work to do here in the parks before I think about that kind of leap.” She said, looking for any way to get away from the man, who made her skin crawl. He smiled and nodded.

                “Well boss, I’ll be around.” He said, and with a sharp nod at Gage, turned and left the market.

                “Boss, I-“ Gage started.

                “Don’t call me that. We can talk back at Fizztop. There are too many people around here.” She said through her teeth. She started toward the door, head spinning. She said nothing to him as they walked back to the lift, holding a tight control over herself until they finally were on the patio, away from prying ears.

                “Flynn, I meant to tell you-“ He began again.

                “Oh yeah? You meant to tell me about this fuck? This…whatever guy whose sole job it is to get me to let fucking Raiders loose on the Commonwealth?” She said, voice rising. She had dropped her bag and whirled on Gage as he spoke, causing him to stop moving towards him. They stood a few feet apart, watching each other.

                “Yeah, I mean, I kinda thought after Colter fucked around for so long that he would move on. But I meant to tell you that this could possibly come up…” He excused. Olivia scoffed.

                “Well you can just tell him to fuck off. There is no way I’m destroying all that I’ve helped build, all that I’ve accomplished out there by letting a bunch of fucking Raiders take it by force.” She said. Gage watched her, still tensed.

                “Bo- I mean, Flynn. Think for a second. I know who you are, what you do out there, but if anyone else found out, they’d skin you alive. The Minutemen have killed too many Raiders out there to be forgiven, no matter how many parks you clear. And if you tell them that you aren’t gonna move into the Commonwealth, they’re gonna ask questions.” He said, striving for a rational tone. This made Olivia’s cheeks flush hot.

                “I’m not so naïve to think that I can rid the world of Raiders, or even that I can change the minds of the ones here. But I’m not, not, helping them take over settlements that I helped build, and kill people that I know. If they do it themselves, fine. But I’m not endorsing it, and I’m not using “Shank” to further _your_ goals.” She said, emphasizing the “your” to be sure he knew she hadn’t forgotten who he was. His face fell almost unperceptively.

                “Look. I ain’t gonna make you do it. I’m not even gonna try to talk you into it. I know who you are, and I know that trying will be like talking to a goddamned brick wall. But I’m telling you, if you’re gonna refuse, you gotta think of a real good excuse to do so. Cause these people are starting to see you as one of them, starting to trust you, and if they start to suspect anything…” He trailed off, not needing to finish. She stood for a moment, watching him. His face was less swollen today. His eye had a massive shiner under it, and his nose was an ugly purplish color. His lip had a small split in it, though it had scabbed over well. She could see that under that, he was almost pleading with her.

                “I won’t do anything rash. We still have parks to clear, and then the power to turn on. I’ll think of something by then.” She said quietly, letting her shoulders slump. She turned to sit on one of the stools, feeling drained. Gage slowly came to sit next to her. He was still tensed, and she knew there was something else on his mind.

                “What’s wrong, Gage?” She asked, not turning to look at him. She heard him sigh softly.

                “Flynn, you know I wouldn’t tell anyone, who you are I mean?” He asked, and her heart fluttered in her chest. She swallowed and nodded.

                “Y-Yeah, I mean, if you did, you’d be out another Overboss.” She said, with a half-hearted attempt at a laugh. The corner of Gage’s mouth turned up, but he shook his head.

                “That ain’t what I mean. I mean, I won’t tell anyone, because I got your back. And I know you got mine. Y’know?” He said. Olivia nodded slowly, but didn’t reply. He ran a hand over his bruised face.

                “This is gonna sound so dumb, but you’re the first person I’ve trusted in a _long_ time. The first person I’ve been able to put my faith in and know I ain’t gonna end up with a knife in my back.” He went on. Olivia’s heart was pounding, what was he getting at?

                “I just, you need to know that. You need to know that I trust you, and I want you to trust me. I wouldn’t try to change who you are, regardless of who I am.” He said, finishing lamely. Olivia glanced at him. He was staring out over the horizon, eyes not focused on anything.

                “Y’know Gage, call me crazy, but I trust you too. Even after all the shit you put me through.” She added. He scratched his head, almost embarrassed.

                “I just thought you should know. With everything that happened yesterday and today. And going forward. I don’t wanna be anywhere else.” He said, and his eye quickly met hers, before flitting back around the room. Olivia had the sense that he wanted to say something else, but instead he rose, slapping his thighs as he did.

                “Well, you’ve got a trade route to establish, huh?” He said, turning to her. She cleared her throat and nodded, feeling her heart still pounding in her chest.

 

 

                They waited until nightfall to go to the radio, not wanting to be overheard as Olivia spoke with Preston. Gage stood outside the small shack while Olivia crouched next to the radio, trying to discuss the matter with her friend, who she worried was becoming suspicious.

                “General, you’re sure you don’t need back up out there?” He said for the third time during their conversation. She sighed, glancing at Gage’s back. She wished Preston would stop calling her that, but didn’t want to raise his suspicions more by saying anything about it.

                “Yes, Preston, I promise. I just need you to speak with some of your friends at Bunker Hill, tell them that I’ve secured Nuka-Town USA as a trade route for the caravans, and they should start sending people out.” She said, exasperated. She knew that when the caravans started coming, that word would get back to Preston about what she had been doing out here, but she would deal with that when it came to it.

                “I’ll see what I can do, General. Maybe I can talk with some of the traders that come through Sanctuary. Can you radio me tomorrow night? I should have more news by then.” He said.

                “Sure Preston. I’ll talk to you around this time tomorrow.” She said, and bid the man goodnight. She sat back on her heels, rubbing her face with her hands, feeling tired. Gage peeked around the corner at her.

                “Everything alright?” He asked. She nodded, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

                “Yeah. Just feel bad lying to him is all.” She said, brushing past Gage and beginning the trek back to Fizztop. He fell into step behind her.

                “Well, you ain’t exactly lying, right? Just not telling him everything?” He asked. Olivia let out a laugh.

                “Spoken like a true Raider.” She said, turning to look at him. He cracked a smile at her.

                “Yeah, well, sometimes it helps to think that way I guess.” He said.

                “At least we’re getting somewhere. Hopefully by this time next week there will be a good caravan line set up here and we’ll start seeing some cash flow.” She said. Gage took a deep gulp of the hot night air and breathed it out slowly.

                “If you pull this off, ain’t nobody gonna doubt you’re the best choice for Overboss.” He said. She laughed and gestured at his face.

                “I can think of one person who probably won’t ever come to that conclusion.” She said. Gage touched his bruised face and then waved a hand at her.

                “Mason, he’ll get over it. His ego is bruised, sure, but once he sees the real change, the good you’re doing for the parks, even he will have to admit it.” He replied, with a confidence that made Olivia feel better about the situation. Still, she shrugged.

                “Well, I hope so. I really don’t want to find anything nasty in my bed again.” She said, grimacing. They had reached the lift, and Olivia climbed on and turned around, seeing Gage standing on his toes, as though unsure of where to go. She watched him for a moment before he spoke.

                “Well, g’night Boss.” He said, taking a step back, but still hesitating slightly.

                “You’re welcome to stay upstairs, inside I mean.” She said, sensing this might be what he was waiting for. He eyed her.

                “You sure? I mean you saw the looks we were getting.” He said. She shrugged, gesturing widely.

                “If they’re talking already, they aren’t gonna stop just cause you stop sleeping up here. Like you said, you know what’s really happening, and I know, so that’s all that matters, right?” She said, and a small (maybe not so small) part of her began hoping he would come up.

                “It has been nice sleeping off the floor, not having to worry about waking up next to some mutated bug or something.” He said thoughtfully. Olivia smiled and waved at him.

                “C’mon. We’ll have a drink too.” She said encouragingly. He returned her smile and came up on the lift next to her. They rode the life up in silence, though each with a smile still plastered on their faces.

 


	17. La Mer

 

                She was being chased again.

                It was the same, her running through a forest, barefoot and terrified. She couldn’t see very well, but somehow still knew it was Pre-war, whether it was the smell, or even just the feeling she couldn’t tell. She ran until her feet bled, and then stopped when she heard her son’s cry, terrified for him.

                Then the same, blood-curdling yell came from the trees, too close. The voice she recognized.

                She was caught again between running from the man and going to her crying son. Her chest ached as though it would burst, and all she wanted to do was stop running, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t let him catch her.

 

                She woke to someone shaking her and sat bolt upright, knife clenched in her fist. She swung it out, barely missing Gage who leapt back from the bed. She looked wildly around, taking in that it was still dark, and that they were alone before calming down.

                “Flynn, you okay?” Gage asked from an arm’s length away. She dropped the knife and nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

                “Y-yeah. Nightmare.” She finally managed to choke out. He came a step closer, still wary.

                “I figured. You were yelling a lot.” He said roughly. She noted that he was shirtless, and also was out of his boots.

                “Sorry. Did I wake you? I’m sorry.” She said, blinking away the rest of the memories of the dream. She saw him shake his head in the dim light from the lantern she kept lit on the bar.

                “Don’t worry about it. I thought… well never mind.” He said awkwardly. She was still sitting bolt upright in the bed, heart still having trouble coming back to a normal pace.

                “Is it…about the vault?” Gage asked cautiously. She turned her head to him sharply, and saw the concern etched on his face. She shook her head slowly.

                “No. I just… I don’t really wanna talk about it. I’m sorry.” She said softly. Gage cleared his throat and nodded. He started back for the door to the inner apartment, but then turned back to her.

                “Flynn, I don’t know if it will make it better but… you’re safe here.” He said, and not waiting for a reply, pushed inside, leaving his words hanging in the air around her.

                She thought to herself that it did indeed make it better, even if she didn’t quite believe it fully.

 

 

                Olivia had insisted that they stay in Nuka-Town until the caravan arrived and was set up, so she could oversee everything and make sure it all went smoothly. For once, it did, and four days later the traders arrived and set up in the market, wary, but willing to start working with them.

                The general air around the park was excitement, the Raiders all now benefitting directly from something that Olivia did, instead of the symbolic benefit of their gangs being in charge of parks. She garnered a lot more respect as she walked down the streets of Nuka-Town, Raiders going out of their way to acknowledge her, even trying to gift her chems, which she politely refused.

                Gage had continued sleeping at Fizztop, and though she knew that the park must be talking about it when she wasn’t around, there hadn’t been as much open staring as before the caravans had come.

                After a week had passed, Olivia finally felt comfortable in leaving Nuka-Town to venture out to the bottling plant, “The World of Refreshment” to clear it. It was another park that they had no idea what to expect from, so with their supplies fully stocked (including a cache of stimpaks), they set out. They decided to walk along the path they had already cleared, though it took them a bit longer, passing by Galactic Zone, Dry Rock Gulch, and Safari Adventure (which Gage had eyed with extreme distaste), reaching the outskirts of the bottling plant by midafternoon.

                “Doesn’t look like much going on around it.” Gage said as they approached. Olivia had to agree. It seemed to be a ride, something where you got into a boat and it floated you down a river of water that had been dyed to look like Nuka-Cola Quantum.

                “I guess we’ll have to go in and see. Ready to get a little wet?” She asked. Gage grimaced, but followed closely behind as she plunged into the stagnant water.

 

 

                Mirelurks. The whole fucking place was full of Mirelurks. And not normal ones, either. These ones were mutated from the close proximity to the ingredients used to make the soft drink before the war. They glowed blue in the dark of the derelict ride, seeming to take on an ethereal air. There were dozens of them, making nests in the dark, warm, moist rooms of the plant. The glowing at least helped them be more visible, making them easy to take out from long distances.

                They had found the bodies of some long-dead Gunners, and also the schematics to a very dangerous looking Mini-Nuke launcher, which Olivia folded carefully and put away, knowing one or two people that would pay good money for it. They had systematically finished clearing the building then, only to go outside onto a loading dock and find themselves face to face with a Mirelurk Queen.

                “Holy fucking shit.” Gage whispered as they peered over the ledge into the pit that held the huge creature. They had come out of the ride onto a concrete maze that once was a shipping yard for the Nuka-Cola company. They were on the uppermost level, but could see the huge glowing creature below them. It was scuttling around, churning mud and debris up underneath its huge spindly legs. Olivia gulped audibly.

                “You got that right.” She whispered back.

                “I’ve never seen one in person. Heard stories about them, but always thought they were exaggerations.” Gage said as he scanned the area. There were a couple of the mutated Mirelurks scattered around the shipping yard, none of them really paying attention to anything. They were easy to spot in the dark of the night.

                “What’s the plan?” Olivia asked, mentally taking stock of their remaining cache. They still had a good haul of explosives, and Gage had plenty of ammo, but hers was running low.

                “Well, I’ve got one, but you ain’t gonna like it.” Gage grumbled from beside her. She eyed him suspiciously.

                “You’re smaller, right? So you sneak down and plant a bunch of mines there-“ He said, gesturing with the tip of his rifle, “- then back up, and I’ll start shooting, drawing her to the trap. Hopefully we can blow her legs off at least, and then you can chuck a couple grenades and throw a couple close range shots in.” Olivia grimaced.

                “You’re right, I don’t like it. But it’s good.” She agreed. Gage’s mouth quirked in a half smile.

                “Alright, this will be fun.” He said, but he sounded like he may not believe himself fully. Olivia sighed and moved into a crouch, keeping to the shadows. She went carefully down two sets of ramps until at last she was on level ground with the beast. She could see the ripples in the stagnant water as it moved, sending a very similar vibration rattling through her bones.

                She soon felt her boots begin squelching in the mud as she neared the Mirelurk Queen. She emitted the same eerie blue glow that the other Mirelurks did, making Olivia move even slower so she could avoid being seen. Finally she reached the area they agreed to drop the mines. Quickly and quietly she began pulling them out of her bag, three frag mines in all, plus the piece de resistance; a bottlecap mine. She set them all in a small patch and slowly backed away, going only so far as to be safe from the blast. Now it was up to Gage.

                She waited a few seconds with her ears perked for his shot, and she was about to panic when it finally came, a loud report from somewhere above. The queen heard it and began moving towards the sound, right into the trap. Another shot, and she scurried forward-

                The whole pit was drowned in a deafening explosion. Olivia could faintly hear the screeching of the beast as it careened from side to side on what were now broken and useless legs. Mud and algae ridden water splashed everywhere as Olivia moved from her spot, careful to try to remain unseen, and pulled out the first grenade. She lobbed it in a high arc, timing it so the explosion would go off right as it reached the Mirelurk queen’s head. The creature recoiled as the blast went off, another screech splitting the night air. Olivia was conscious of shots going off above her, but her eyes were glued to the huge being in front of her, that was now toppling over.

                It hit the water with an enormous crash, sending a wave of the stinking water splashing over Olivia even from her distant vantage point. She shook herself, trying not to think of all the disgusting things that may be living in it, not to mention the rads she was taking, and focused all her attention on the dying thing in front of her. It was writhing now, and Olivia noted with alarm that it was spitting globs of some kind of goo everywhere, but wherever the globs landed, there was a hissing noise and the area they landed in began to steam.

                She readied another grenade and pulled the pin, reaching back to throw it, when she felt something hard grab her leg. She yelled, and tossed the grenade as far as she could before she was upended; staring into the face of a Mirelurk that now had her held upside down in its claw. The grenade went off, not even close to the Mirelurk queen, and splattered them with mud and dirty water. She scrabbled to hold onto her bag, her weapon, anything she could as it began to shake her back and forth. Everything slipped over her head and landed with a wet thud on the ground beneath her. Her breath came in ragged pants as she tried to keep her wits, harder than it seemed when all the blood was rushing to your head.

               She began to kick with her other foot at the Mirelurk that had her, aiming for the soft fleshy bits that it usually kept well protected. She could smell the foul fishy smell that emanated from it, making the bile rise in her throat. It was trying to grab her with the other claw now, but she dodged and wriggled madly away, making the creature wobble to stay upright. Olivia could still hear the occasional ring of a shot from Gage’s rifle, but no longer heard the queen struggling behind her. She was trying not to panic when a thought suddenly struck her.

               She reached up to the leg that was free, pulling the combat knife from her boot. It felt solid and reassuring in her hand. She felt better, though her vision was beginning to swim, and she thought that if the creature held her like this for much longer, it was likely to cut her leg off where it had her gripped. She focused, trying to see where best to strike, then lunged, feeling the knife skitter off the hard carapace. She grunted and lined up for another try, all the while dodging the dangerous claw that threatened to behead her.

               She took a deep breath and struck, this time rewarded with the feeling of the knife sinking into flesh. She caught it right under the neck, and it screamed. She jammed it in further, and then suddenly the creature dropped her. She fell hard on her back in the mud and lay stunned for a moment, thinking desperately that she needed to get up, to move, to get back to her weapon, when the Mirelurk suddenly fell over, dead next to her in the sludge.

               She breathed in, taking stock of herself and letting the blood flow out of her head and back into her limbs. Finally she propped herself up on an elbow, feeling the mud squish underneath her. She looked around, seeing the dead Mirelurk queen in the distance, a glowing heap of destroyed legs and carapace. She turned to look at the Mirelurk that had grabbed her, it too lying dead, but still glowing.

               “Boss!” Gage’s voice called from close by. Olivia turned towards the sound of it and saw the Raider sprinting towards her. She feebly raised an arm to him before dropping it back in the cool muck around her. He was beside her in an instant, kneeling next to her and grabbing her arm, his eye flitting over her, checking for damage.

               “Shit boss, I thought that fucker had you for sure.” He said, finally accepting she was alright. He stood and reached down, grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet. He didn’t let go however; he kept his hands on her forearms as he continued to survey her. She tried to shake her head, but found that that motion made the world begin to spin, so spoke instead.

               “I’m fine, I was lucky I had my knife. And that you’re a good shot.” She said, tossing a glance at the dead creature once more. Gage seemed to notice he still held on to her and let her arms go, but stepped closer to her. She was suddenly very aware of his presence, the scent of his sweat over the swampy smells around them, the heat of his skin in the summer night.

               “Hell, couldn’t let the Overboss get killed by a fucking crab, right?” He said, letting a nervous smile flash over his features. Olivia laughed.

               “Yeah. Cooler than a bug though.” She countered, and went to pick up her bag and weapon. She could feel the mud beginning to dry on her clothes and skin. It would be a long walk back to Nuka-Town.

               “Still ain’t as cool as a Gatorclaw.” He said, and they both erupted in laughter.


	18. One More Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, with a bit more about Olivia and her life before the bombs.

                They were muddy and sweaty and desperately tired as they began the trek back. Olivia had half a mind just to make camp somewhere and sleep until dawn, but every time she moved and felt the radiation ridden mud flake off her she pressed on, knowing a shower (albeit a cold one) was waiting.

                They had been walking about twenty minutes, talking of this and that, just trying to keep each other awake. The sky was clear, giving them an unparalleled view of the stars above. It was a moonless night, but the stars were so vibrant and bright that they still had enough light to see the path before them. They could see the faint glow of the fires from Dry Rock Gulch in the distance, blazing high even in the dead of the night.

                “Never used to see so many stars before the war.” Olivia said, eyes flitting between the heavens and the surrounding area.

                “Hmm?” He grunted, and looked up as if noticing the sky for the first time. She glanced at him, then back up.

                “Too many lights before. On a good night you could see some stars, but most were drowned out. It’s incredible how many you can see.” She said, voice dropping low.

                “Guess I never paid much attention. Too worried about what’s in front or behind me to worry about what’s up there.” He said, but his gaze lingered on the sky for a while. They were quiet again; each in their own thoughts for a time, then Gage spoke, his voice hoarse with tiredness.

                “Do you miss it? Your own time, I mean.” Olivia thought for a moment.

                “Sometimes. Some things. I think I miss really good coffee most of all.” She joked. Gage cocked a brow at her and chuckled. It was quiet again. Olivia could tell Gage was thinking intensely.

                “Do you… Do you miss your husband?” He asked. Olivia stiffened, stopping in her tracks. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach and her mouth went dry.

                “Why the fuck would you bring him up, now of all times?” She asked shortly. She could see Gage didn’t understand, but she didn’t care. She fought so hard to forget.

                “I dunno I was just-.” He stammered. Olivia felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and breathed, trying to force them away.

                “He’s dead. He’s been dead. I’m over it.” She said, turning to stomp away.

                “Why do you call his name in your sleep then?” He asked, and slowed, letting her weapon slump slightly.

                “His name was Nate, right?” Gage asked tentatively. Olivia almost flinched at the name, but nodded, slowly turning back to face him.

                “The dreams you have, the ones you say are nightmares.” He said, answering her expression. A tear escaped her eye, tracking down her face in a long arc. She wiped it away slowly.

                “They are nightmares, Gage.” She said quietly. He looked at her.

                “Of him dying? Of the vaults?” He asked. She shook her head, sending chips of dried mud flying away from her.

                “I wish I dreamed of that.” She said, and sighed, falling back into step beside him, more slowly now. She steeled herself and set to the explanation she knew somewhere deep inside had been coming.

                “I met Nate in the military in the beginning of 2075. We were young and dumb and in love and got married 8 months after we met.” She started, her eyes focused on the horizon. Gage shifted uncomfortably.

                “Then, the next year in June, a campaign was launched to try to retake Alaska from the Chinese. It was the biggest confrontation the world had ever seen, both sides losing huge amounts of people. Nate was deployed there. He stayed for 4 months before they sent him back. When he came home, he was different.” She said, voice now barely a whisper.

                “At first, it was drinking extra on the weekends, and sometimes in his sleep, he would wake up and try to kill me, not knowing where he was, or who I was. But then it slowly got worse. He started drinking all the time, started attacking me when he was fully awake.” She went on, closing her eyes as though to block out the memories. She could feel Gage beside her, tense.

                “One time, he was particularly… brutal. And then 9 months later we had a son, Shaun.” She said, letting the implication do the explaining. She heard Gage clear his throat, but went on.

                “I thought that having Shaun would maybe wake him up, bring him back to the way he used to be, and for a while it did. But then Shaun had a bad run of colic, keeping both of us up into the night, and Nate would scream at me, and…” She trailed off.

                “Do you know that the day the bombs fell he wouldn’t let me hold Shaun? Wouldn’t let me tell my three week old son that I loved him or kiss him and tell him everything would be alright?” She asked rhetorically, as though still not believing it herself. She opened her eyes then, shining with tears and turned them to Gage.

                “So no, Gage. I don’t particularly miss him. I don’t particularly feel any way about him anymore.” She said with finality, and with admitting it aloud, felt a small weight lift off her shoulders that she didn’t realize she had been carrying. As though she had been carrying the guilt of her feelings about him around since the bombs, since his death, and now with her admission to Gage, could finally be free of him.

                They walked in silence for a long time, and then as they turned to make the last jaunt into Nuka-Town, Olivia felt Gage’s hand rest on her shoulder. He said nothing, only squeezing gently, his thumb running lightly over the base of her neck. The touch said more than he could ever say aloud, and Olivia took a deep breath, feeling better than she had in a long time.

 

                They got to the foot of Fizztop just as the light started to shimmer over the horizon. Gage mumbled something about going to find a shower, and then stumbled off, leaving Olivia to go up to the apartment alone. After a cold bath in which the water turned a disgusting brown color almost instantly, she settled herself to get a couple hours sleep before she would have to decide who to put in the park.

                Her mind was wandering, thinking of the day’s events, thinking of Gage and why on earth he had decided to bring up Nate. It wasn’t like him to ask her personal details about herself, about her life before the bombs. In fact, ever since she had told him the entire story in the shack in Dry Rock Gulch, they hadn’t spoken about it at all.

                She sighed, her feelings for him once again warring with her feelings of who he was. She had told him the truth about Nate, something she hadn’t told anyone before, and though he hadn’t said anything, she knew from the touch he had given her that he had understood, that he would never ask about it again, and that the knowledge was safe with him. He was challenging everything she had thought Raiders to be. Granted, he wasn’t a typical Raider, definitely had more smarts about him then the average one, and had more self-preservation as well, but he was still a Raider. People still died because of choices he made, or people he helped.

                She thought for the thousandth time of his face the night he had come back from fighting with Mason. She thought of the look that had darted through his eyes when he had told her what Mason had said to him, when he told her of his defense of her. The memory of it still made her stomach churn with butterflies and made the heat rise to her cheeks.

                She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep as the first of the park’s morning noises began drifting up from below.


	19. Sixty Minute Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this one. ;)

                Olivia awoke the next day, late. She could tell it was mid-afternoon by the light and cursed silently. She wondered where Gage was; usually he didn’t let her sleep this late. Maybe he had slept in as well, she thought. She rolled out of bed and found her shoes, strapped on her armor and grabbed her pistol. Almost as an afterthought she went to the door to the inner apartment and cracked it, listening to see if he had come in in the night. He hadn’t. She knew she would have heard the lift come up anyway. She sighed and went to the elevator, grabbing a handful of sugar bombs as she passed the bar. She crunched on them as the lift lowered, and she stepped off, starting the search for Gage.

                She combed the whole of Nuka-Town, even getting caught up in an almost violent disagreement between one of the new traders and a disgruntled Pack member, but had (to her delight), quelled it diplomatically, without bloodshed. After a few hours of searching, she had given up, deciding to head back to Fizztop and hoping he would show back up soon.

                She fell asleep waiting, after trying very hard to keep herself from worrying about his fate (had he met with some dangerous creature just outside Nuka-Town’s walls? Or had Mason come back for revenge?) She was woken in the night by the sound of the lift, and was relieved to see Gage, who appeared unharmed, try to quietly walk onto the patio.

                “You can’t sneak up here using that lift.” Olivia called to him. He started, but turned to her, grinning sheepishly.

                “I thought you might be deep enough asleep to not notice.” He said. He stretched lazily and unclamped his armor, letting it fall with a loud _thunk_ on the concrete floor.  He then crossed and took a seat in one of the armchairs that looked out over the side of the apartment. Olivia got up and came to sit in the chair opposite him, bringing with her two beers, handing one to Gage.

                “I try to stay pretty alert sleeping in a nest of Raiders.” She answered. He chuckled slightly, a scratchy noise that penetrated her chest and caused the corners of her mouth to perk up involuntarily. Olivia thought how much she loved the sound of it.

                “I looked for you all day. You couldn’t leave a note?” She joked after a time. Gage took a swig of the beer and looked out over the shadowy park.

                “I just needed to take a walk. Clear my head.” He said, deep voice gruff from the alcohol. Olivia eyed him.

                “Got a lot on your mind? You were gone all day. At least I assume you were, I slept til almost evening.” She said, turning a pointed look to him. His gaze turned from the view over Nuka-Town to her, and her heart fluttered at the soft look in his eyes.

                “You could say that.” He said, flitting his eyes away. Olivia shifted in her chair, suddenly very aware of the Raider, his breathing and the heat of him, which she thought she could feel even from the distance they sat apart.

                “Gonna enlighten me?” She asked, unsure really if she wanted the answer. Gage half-shrugged.

                “Just thinking of all the dumb ass things I’ve done in my life to end up here. All the times I could have, or probably should have died. All the assholes I’ve met and had fuck me over. Just all the shit, y’know?” He said. Olivia swallowed and nodded, listening.

                “I’m just thinking that running with you these past weeks, well, it makes all of the shit that I had to go through before worth it.” He said, glancing at her as he put down his empty bottle. It was quiet for a moment.

                Olivia would never know if it was the beer that had bolstered her, or the tiredness from just waking up, or just sheer nervousness that made her say what she said next.

                “Is that all we’re doing? Running together?” She said, dropping her voice low. She resisted the urge to clap her hand over her mouth, to try to cover up the question with another, less forward one. Gage swallowed audibly.

                “Well shit Flynn, I dunno…” He said, and she thought she heard a tone of hopefulness in his voice. She pushed on, not knowing if it was a good idea or not.

                “You’re telling me you haven’t thought about it?” She asked, almost a whisper. Gage made a low noise that she thought was a laugh.

                “Flynn, I’m gonna be honest here, it’s all I fucking think about.” He said, and suddenly his eye was locked on hers, intent and bright.

                “I can’t get you off my fucking mind. I think about you all the time, so much that I don’t eat unless I’m with you. I can’t sleep, especially knowing you’re right on the other side of the wall, and there ain’t shit I can do about it.” He said, gesturing to her bed in the corner. Olivia’s heart was hammering in her chest, ringing in her ears so loud that she thought Gage had to hear it. He went on, his voice low but steady.

                “When Mason said what he said to me, I thought I would kill him. The feeling in my goddamned chest at anyone other than me being with you… I couldn’t stand it.” He said, and Olivia wondered if he hadn’t had more to drink than just the beer before he came up. She thought about trying to speak but he was on a roll.

                “I haven’t trusted anyone with my life since I was fucking sixteen, do you know that? Yet with you, I know you got my back, no matter what. But it’s more than that too, I feel like I wanna tell you shit about me that I ain’t ever told people before. I find myself thinking about how you’d handle something when you aren’t there, thinking about things you’d say or do. I don’t question the choices you make anymore because I know, truly _know_ , that it’s the fucking right thing to do. And now here I am pouring out my goddamned heart and probably ruining the best damned thing to ever happen to me.” He said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and burying his face in his hands.

                 Olivia swallowed hard, trying to think of what to say. Somewhere deep inside she had wanted this, she knew that. She wanted to tell him she felt the same, tell him that she hadn’t felt so at ease with anyone since waking up 200 years in the future. She wanted to tell him the feeling she had when he looked at her, when he laughed at something she said, when he came close to her. What she didn’t know was how to word how she was feeling. She felt lightheaded, and butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach.

                “Gage… I…” She started. He stood suddenly, almost knocking over the table that sat between them.

                “This was a bad idea. You’re the Overboss. I shouldn’t have said any of that.” He stammered, walking towards the bar. Olivia stood, following him.

                “Gage, listen!” She said, but he was to his armor now, face flushed beet red in the lantern light. He leaned down to pick it up, and she threw out a hand to grab his forearm, stopping him.

                “Gage!” She said, finally getting his attention. He looked at her, his face full of so many emotions she couldn’t discern which he felt more. She took a deep breath, as though to say something, but decided against it, instead grabbing the neck of his tank top and pulling him into a kiss.

                It was softer then when he had kissed her before; almost in the same spot on the night they had cleared Galactic Zone. This kiss was tender as she tried to convey all her jumbled up emotions to him in a way he could understand. They stood frozen for a moment, before she pulled back, locking her teeth in her lower lip, still tasting him.

                “I’ve thought about it too.” She said quietly. A smile perked the corner of his lips and he leaned back in, capturing her in another kiss. One of his hands came up to rest on her cheek, large and warm. He tasted of beer and something mildly sweet. She felt his other hand snake up her back, resting solidly between her shoulder blades. They parted again, breathless.

                “You sure you want this? You want me?” He said, still holding her close. She kissed him again, harder in response, before pulling back. Her hands played across his chest flirtatiously. She had wanted to touch him, to be near to him without his armor on for so long, and now that she was, she found it to be worth the wait.

                “I do want you, Gage.” She said softly, letting her hands drop to the waistband of his pants, playing with the hem of his tank top. A soft hum went through the man, and she could feel the vibration of him, his arms still wrapped lazily around her. He pulled one arm up and let his hand trail down her neck slowly, sending ripples of goosebumps racing up her exposed arms. He locked his gaze on hers for a moment, and then kissed her again, this time more desperately. She wrapped her fingers in the cloth of his shirt and pulled, not breaking the kiss, clumsily pulling him towards the bed in the corner of the room. It was slow going, and they nearly fell over on the couple steps up to the platform, but they made it, still locked in the passionate kiss.

                The kiss was broken when Gage lightly pushed Olivia onto the mattress, smiling at her surprised expression. He pulled his shirt off over his head, tossing it over his shoulder, and Olivia could see the pale pink lines and puckers of long healed scars that crossed his chest and sides, the Gatorclaw marks standing out vibrant as the newest additions. She tore her eyes away to see him staring at her, eye glinting in the dim light of the room. For a moment, Olivia became very self-conscious and she felt her cheeks flush.

                “What?” She said, looking from Gage to the floor. He smiled crookedly, and Olivia’s heart jumped seeing it.

                “Nothin’. Just thinking about how I’m gonna get to do this proper this time.” He said softly, a laugh knitted into his words. Olivia flushed deeper, remembering the time he was speaking about, how it was full of rage and frustration and misguided lust. She swallowed and met his gaze again. He was still watching her intently. Not breaking the look, she reached down and slowly pulled her own shirt off, feeling her nipples harden at the sudden exposure to the warm night air. Gage inhaled sharply, eye flitting from her face to her chest.

                “Fuck.” He whispered, and stepped forward, placing his knee on the bed and leaning in. Olivia smiled demurely and reached out, grasping behind his neck and pulling him forward into a kiss and closer to her. This kiss was harder, more passionate, and full of need. She felt Gage’s hand light on her cheek and she took it in hers, guiding it down until he cupped her, his thumb tracing circles over the sensitive flesh. That was all the guiding it took, and soon he had crawled on top of her, kicking his boots off in an impatient struggle. He was still kissing her, his tongue dipping in and leaving the taste of beer behind. He was propped above her on one hand, the other still engaged with her breasts, teasing and kneading. She was letting her hands roam over the muscles of his chest, slowly working down, tracing his abdominals until she reached the waist of his pants once more.

                Deftly she unbuttoned the worn canvas pants and slid her hand inside, finding him straining against the fabric, already hard and ready. She smiled to herself as he let out a gasp when she gripped him, his wandering hand going slack with the sudden sensation. She pushed on his chest with her other hand, coaxing him back onto his elbows as she worked his pants off completely, Gage eagerly kicking them away. She took a moment to survey him in the dim lantern light. He had an odd tan from his armor, but the rest of him was covered in dark hair, stretching from his chest all the way down into a furry trail that ended in a tangle where his cock stood. His thighs were hard and cut delicately with the muscle of someone who has worked very hard to stay alive.

                Now it was Gage’s turn to be self-conscious, and he made a small noise in his throat and started to move. Olivia stopped him by placing a hand on his thigh and quite suddenly taking the Raider into her mouth.

                “Holy fuck!” Gage yelped and Olivia almost choked laughing. She caught herself though and set to the task, reveling in the sounds and small moans the man made as she moved. She continued, running her tongue up the shaft in an accomplished way until she thought he could take no more, and then pulled away, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth and grinning. Gage was panting and a sheen of sweat had formed on his brow. He watched her for a moment under heavy lidded eyes, and then grasped her arm, pulling her down and nimbly switching their positions until once more he was over her, his hands pulling at the waist of her jeans. She wriggled, helping him pull them off and let out a squeal as his hand went to her, thumb playing skillfully on her clit, making a heat rise in her.

               “Gage!” She gasped as he slid a finger inside of her, pumping slowly. His mouth clamped around a nipple and she moaned, causing the man to smile and in turn, causing his teeth to brush against her, making a shiver run up her spine. She clutched at the worn canvas she used as a blanket on the mattress and writhed as she felt him add another finger, his thumb still rubbing lazy circles on her swollen clit.

                “Fuck, that didn’t take long.” He whispered, pulling his fingers out and examining them, before popping them in his mouth. Her breath was coming in pants now and she propped herself up on an elbow, watching him taste her.

                “Gage, please?” She said, almost hating the begging tone that laced the words but not caring. Gage’s eyebrow rose and he smiled.

                “Overboss gets what she wants.” He said, and in a swift motion he was on top of her, lining himself up before tentatively thrusting into her. Olivia moaned loudly, probably too loudly, but she didn’t care, and her hips bucked against him, urging him for more. He obliged, pulling out slightly before pushing back in, deeper.

                 She only remembered snippets from the time before, mainly remembered the residual feelings of pleasure that she had, and the feeling of anger that had permeated the air around them. This time, she felt everything as if it was all happening in slow motion. Every thrust, every kiss, every brush of his hand against her cheek, she took in all in. Gage was pounding her with abandon, though she could tell he was trying very hard to keep control. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her, urging him on.

                “Fuck, Gage!” She moaned, and felt Gage’s movements speed up. She felt a pulling deep within her, a heat welling up, begging to be released. She gasped as Gage’s thrusts pounded harder into her, getting more and more wild and jerky. She could tell he was coming close too. He was panting, his breath coming hard in her ears and she moaned again.

                “Gage, I-“ She sighed, and then sparks began to dance across her vision, and she felt the heat overcome her. She gasped and flung her arms around his neck, her nails digging into his flesh as she rode out her climax. It only took a couple more thrusts before Gage pulled out of her, letting himself spill onto her sweat-slicked stomach.

                He rolled onto his side next to her, each of them panting for breath. Olivia’s heart hammered in her ears as the final shocks of pleasure ebbed and faded. She could feel Gage next to her, his skin burning and dripping with sweat. Tentatively she reached down, and twined her fingers into his. He tensed for a moment, and then let his hand close around hers.

               “If they weren’t talking before, they sure will be now.” He said after a time, and she laughed, letting the sound ring out unbidden.


	20. Mad About the Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

               Olivia woke to the sun on her face the next morning. She stretched, feeling as though she had slept better than she had in ages. She propped herself up on an elbow and looked around the room noticing only then that she was alone. She sighed and rolled over, visions of the night before still fresh in her mind, causing a small smile to spread across her face. She was still naked, tangled in the makeshift blanket. She remembered falling asleep next to Gage, her head in the crook of his arm, and she wondered when he had left. She also wondered just how hard she had slept, having not felt him move or heard the elevator’s creaking decent.

               She shrugged mentally and rose, finding bits of her clothes flung to and fro in the room. As she was about to leave to go look for the Raider, she paused, seeing a park map placed deliberately on the bar. As she came closer she could see the scratchy handwriting on it.

               “ _Out for a walk_.” It said succinctly. She shook her head and picked it up, folding it and tucking it in her pants. She then headed for the lift, pounding the red button and beginning the descent downward.

 

               She didn’t have to look far; she caught a glimpse of his bright yellow armor as she passed the back exit of the park, and turned, seeing him leaned over the concrete railing that rimmed the edge of the large lake in the center of the five parks. She approached, seeing the morning sun dance off the stagnant water and wondering why he had chosen to come out to this spot, out of the relative safety of Nuka-Town.

               She came up behind him quietly, but if she startled him he made no show of it. He just stayed leaned against the concrete, hands clasped in front of him. It was a serene vision, she thought.

               “There you are.” She said quietly, coming up beside him and turning, leaning her back against the concrete and staring back into the park she had just exited.

               “I left a note.” He said, his voice dry. Olivia shifted her weight, moving her gaze to him. He was still staring straight ahead, focusing on nothing in particular.

               “So is this how it’s gonna be every time? We fuck and then I have to come and hunt you down?” She said, with an attempt at humor. Gage shrugged as though adjusting his armor, and the corner of his mouth twitched, but she couldn’t tell if it was the beginning of a smile or not.

              “What we did last night wasn’t fucking, you know that Flynn.” He finally said, voice calm. Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and looked down, kicking an errant rock by her foot.

              “Yeah. I know Gage.” She said, trying to keep herself from blushing at the memory of the night before. Suddenly he turned to her, his eye focused on hers.

               “Is this really what you want? Me? Some old Raider who forced you to become the boss of some fucking abandoned amusement park?” He asked, very seriously. Olivia gaped at him, mouth slightly opened.

               “You could be doing anything out there, whatever you wanted. You got friends, people to help, things to do. All I’m doing here is keeping a bunch of chem addicted fucks from tearing out each other’s throats, and you know what? I couldn’t tell you _why_ I’m doing it. Cause it’s all I know, I guess. It’s all I’ll ever know. And I don’t wanna drag you down into that.” He said, finishing quietly. Olivia had to stop herself from laughing out loud.

               “Well you already dragged me pretty far into it, I’d say.” She said, shifting her gaze from Gage to the ground before standing up straight. She turned towards him, shoulders set.

               “You know what I was gonna do before I heard that fucking jingle on my Pip-boy that day and decided to come out here?” She asked, and her voice seemed louder to her somehow, as though it didn’t carry in the air around them. Gage raised a brow in response.

               “I was gonna make sure my settlements were stocked and defended, then I was gonna go find a nice vista somewhere and take a shitload of psycho.” She said, still keeping his eye. His brow furrowed, but he made no other movements, just continued watching her.

               “You say I’ve got friends, people to help, all that shit, but it didn’t matter to me. From the minute I stepped out of that vault I had a purpose; find my son. And when that ended the way it did-,” she said, her voice cracking slightly, “-I felt like I had nothing. Yeah, I helped some people, and I made a couple friends along the way, but this wasn’t my place, wasn’t my time. Everything I knew, everything I loved was suddenly gone.” Her voice trailed off as she remembered the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach when she had pressed the button to blow the Institute up, remembering the last glimpse she had gotten of Shaun’s face, set in a grimace of hatred towards her, when she told him she couldn’t support him in what he had chosen the Institute to be. When she had realized he was truly gone.

               “When I followed that radio signal, I didn’t really care if I lived or died. Fuck, I almost let you kill me the first time we fought, after you showed me Fizztop and called me “girl”.” She said, remembering. Gage let the ghost of a smile flit across his face, and she knew he remembered as well.

               “Now, I’m not saying I like it here, and I’m not saying that being Overboss is exactly what I want to be doing right now, but damned if I wouldn’t do it all over again if it meant I got to meet you.” She said, voice dropping low.

                “This whole time I’ve been awake, I’ve struggled to find a connection to this world, to the one I woke up to. I thought I would find it in my son, that I could find some semblance of normalcy if I got him back. But I didn’t find it until I met you. You made me care about being alive again, if only so I could tell you how much of a fucking idiot you are.” She said, letting a laugh slip into her words. Gage chuckled slightly at this, and he ran a hand over the back of his neck.

               “Shit boss, I’m just some old Raider, I ain’t anything special.” He said, and Olivia smiled at the shyness that shaded his face.

               “Keep calling yourself old and I’ll have to keep reminding you that I’m 237, so I win that argument.” She said, casting a sidelong glance at him. He smiled.

               “And yeah, you’re a Raider. I get it. I can’t change that any more than you can change the fact that I’m decidedly _not_ a Raider. But you don’t do chems, you aren’t out pillaging settlements, and you kindly refrain from killing innocent people while I’m around.” She said, and he made a wry face at her. She shrugged.

               “And as long as none of that changes, I think I can deal. As long as you can deal with me being an annoying moral compass to you, I think you can deal too.” She said.

               “Besides, Overboss gets what she wants, right?” She asked. He grinned crookedly at her.  It was quiet for a while, the two of them surveying each other in the morning light. Finally Gage cleared his throat.

               “I still might extort the odd person if given the chance. And I ain’t given to killing people unless they get in my way.” He said defensively. Olivia scoffed.

               “Yeah, well I’m sure all the traders that you and Colter ran out of here would beg to differ, but I guess that’s a moot point now.” She said dryly. Gage shook his head.

               “Well now we got a new Overboss, and I don’t imagine she’ll be letting me run anyone out of anywhere.” He said, letting a smile cross his face. Olivia shook her head.

               “Nope. But we still have work to do, right?” She said, glancing in the direction of Kiddie Kingdom, which was visible from where they stood. She could make out a Ferris wheel under a distinct green cloud of what could only be an intense amount of radiation. Gage followed her look and nodded.

               “Yeah, not to mention you still gotta assign the bottling plant to a gang.” He said. Olivia scowled.

               “I’m thinking Disciples. Give them some area out in the back of the park to stake out.” She said and Gage nodded.

               “Running low on parks to hand out. Thought about how you’re gonna handle whoever ends up with the short end of things?” He asked, and his hand reached out and brushed a short strand of hair out of her face. Her close cropped hair had grown shaggy in the weeks since her departure from the Commonwealth, and now fell almost to her ears. It had begun to curl at the ends, giving her a messy look no matter what she did with it, save pulling it back with a handkerchief.

               “I hadn’t really thought about it much, though I imagine it’s pretty obvious who the sore loser is gonna be.” She said, thinking of Mason and the menacing presence he created.

               “Well, I think it goes without saying that I’m behind you no matter what you choose.” He said, and she smiled at him.

               “That’s your job, isn’t it?” She said with mock innocence. Now it was his turn to smile.

               “Sure boss.” He said, and leaned in to kiss her quickly. She returned the kiss, feeling her stomach do the small flips it did whenever he was very near to her.

               “Probably should keep that to a minimum in public.” She said, feeling her cheeks burning. He nodded solemnly.

               “Whatever you say boss.”

 

 


	21. Crawl Out Through the Fallout

               She thought Nisha would hug her, she was so ecstatic about Olivia’s announcement that the Disciples now held the bottling plant. She didn’t, and to avoid the prospect coming up again, had excused herself and Gage before being invited to celebrate with them. As they exited the cave-like area beneath Fizztop, Olivia couldn’t help but wonder just how soundproof the place was, as they were catching quite a few glances and whispers as they made their way out of the place.

               “I guess I should try to be quieter next time.” Olivia said shyly as they came back into the afternoon light. Gage scoffed.

               “Hell, let them talk. Ain’t like they weren’t before.” He said, obviously unbothered. Olivia shrugged slightly.

               “True, but I just barely got a hold on some respect. I’d like to keep it.” She replied.

               “If we clear that last park and get power back, there ain’t shit you could do that would make them turn on you.” He said, with a confidence that heartened her. She sighed as they came around the bend of the small pond in front of Fizztop, ambling towards the marketplace where they would stock up for what would be their last park-clearing mission. It was a sunny day, and the area around the market was bustling with people, Raiders and traders alike.

               Olivia’s presence tended to draw attention now, whether it was because she was Overboss or because of the rumors about her and Gage, she wasn’t sure, but as they entered the market, they found that a wide berth was given to them, no matter how busy the trader stall was. They took their time stocking up, and Olivia introduced herself to a few of the newer traders, reassuring them that they wouldn’t be collared in the night and forced to stay as slaves. Gage stayed silently behind her, only moving off once to speak to one of the caravan guards that he seemed to know.

               They finally made their way back to Fizztop as the last rays of the sun were dying over the horizon. It had been hot out, with no breeze to speak of, but as they rode the lift up to the apartment, the air got slightly less stifling, and Olivia breathed in relief as she removed her armor and over shirt. Gage watched her as he let his own armor fall to the ground with a dull _thud._ She could feel his eyes on her and fought away a blush, turning to go behind the bar and find something to drink.

               “So Kiddie Kingdom tomorrow then?” She said, pulling out two bottles of beer and cracking them open. Gage pulled his gaze from her to the proffered bottle and drank before nodding.

               “Yep. We might have to take it slow, don’t wanna end up ghoulified.” He said between swigs. She grinned at him.

               “Don’t think I’d look good as a ghoul?” She asked, making a dramatic face at him. He grinned his crooked grin at her and she felt her stomach do a flip at the sight.

               “Shit boss, I think you’d look good even if you were a fuckin’ Super Mutant, but I don’t think it would do any good for my mug.” He said, and Olivia leaned across the bar and planted a kiss on his lips. It was quick, but the tastes of beer and salt still lingered when she pulled away.

               “We’ll just have to take a shit load of Rad-X and hope we don’t have to be there long.” She said, taking a drink of her own beer and watching him. He nodded slowly, good eye still looking her up and down.

               “What?” She asked, placing her bottle down onto the table a little harder than intended, causing liquid to slosh onto the table. Gage cocked a brow at her, but grinned.

               “Guess I just keep thinking I’ll wake up and find this has all been a dream.” He said quietly. Olivia smirked at him.

               “Kind of a shitty dream, y’know? Seems like the last month has been nothing but fighting random wasteland creatures and Raider politics.” She said, running through a mental list of all the shit they had dealt with so far. Gage shrugged good naturedly.

               “Yeah, but that’s the kinda shit I live for. Maybe not the politics so much, though that has its own excitement about it, but goin’ out and not knowing what you’re gonna find somewhere and still kicking the shit out of it; that’s my kinda dream. Especially doing it with you.” He said, adding the last sentence quickly and quietly, as though he didn’t want her to hear it. She laughed and shook her head.

               “You mean to tell me that almost getting killed by a Gatorclaw was fun for you?” She asked. Gage finished his drink, sliding the empty bottle across the bar to her, but declined her offer for another.

               “I mean, that part fucking sucked, true. But who else can say they went up against a bunch of Deathclaw- Alligator hybrids and say they lived to talk about it?” He asked genially. Olivia tilted her head in reluctant agreement.

               “I guess if you look at it that way…” She trailed off, coming to the realization that she hadn’t truly been unhappy in Nuka-World since her second or third week there. Sure, there were circumstances she would rather not be involved in here (Mason, the slaves, being the leader of hundreds of Raiders), but overall Nuka-World had given her something to do again. And it had given her Gage. They were quiet for a time, lost in their own thoughts, when suddenly Gage slapped his palms on the bar and stood.

              “Well, we better get some sleep before tomorrow. Our last park.” He said. She nodded, glancing at the bed which still sat disheveled from her quick departure that morning.

              “Sleep, yeah.”

 

 

               She awoke in the early hours of the next day, the sky still mostly dark, though turning a dusty purple in the east, bringing the promise of another sunny day. She kept her eyes closed for a time, mind running over the memory of the night before, Gage’s hands on her body, the heat of his skin making contact with hers, and the memory of her calling out his name again and again, not caring who may or may not hear her. She shivered in residual pleasure and opened her eyes, finding herself looking into the misty greenish eye of the man from her memory.

               “Nice to see I don’t have to come find you this morning.” She purred, voice still hoarse from sleep (and maybe from her moans the night before). A low rumble of laughter came from him, and she felt it vibrate within her, as she was pressed close against him.

               “Naw, I decided to stay this time. Plus I liked watching you sleep.” He said, and she cocked a brow at him.

               “Your face gets all peaceful. Like you ain’t gotta keep the mask of being Overboss up anymore, so it’s just… you.” He said, eye flitting from her to the ceiling in embarrassment. She knew he wasn’t one for talking much, and she thought he especially wasn’t one for talking about his feelings. She smiled at him and pecked his cheek.

               “Well I think I slept better than I have in a very long time.” She said, stretching languidly before curling back against him. She ran her fingers over his chest, tangling them in the dark hairs and tracing the line of his collarbone. She felt him shiver.

               “Well, tempting as it is to stay put, I think we best get moving. Hopefully we can pull this off in one day. Have the power back on before the week is out.” He said, moving to get up. She reluctantly followed, finding her discarded clothes scattered about the room. They dressed in relative silence, every now and then catching each other’s eye and smiling with the giddiness of school children.

               Finally they were ready, and with a brief rundown of their inventory, they headed down the elevator and out the park’s back exit, just as the sun broke over the horizon. It was gonna be another hot day, and Olivia tried to savor the last bits of cooler air before they were driven away by the sun. Kiddie Kingdom loomed in the distance, not a far walk, as they turned right out of the exit and began along the path.

               Olivia thought about the dangers that might lurk there. Most likely ghouls, if there was that much radiation. She hated the feeling of radiation, the skin prickling, and the not right feeling in the stomach she got whenever exposed for too long. The Rad-X helped, but it wasn’t a miracle drug. They had some Rad-Away as well, but that required an I.V., and they had agreed to try to wait until they were back at Nuka-Town to take it if they needed it.

               Kiddie Kingdom came up quickly as the dawn light did, and the two soon found themselves standing in front of the entrance, a statue of the park mascots, rusted and chipped, welcoming them. With a nod at each other, and a quick check of their weapons, they walked inside.

 

 

               “ _Well now friends, it seems we have some new uninvited guests to our park.”_ Came a tinny voice from over a speaker somewhere. It made them both jump, scanning the area they had just came into. It was a small clearing, surrounded by a couple buildings that at one time held souvenir shops and food stalls. They could see the Ferris wheel looming up above them now, tall and ominous.  Her Pip-boy had begun to click, the built in Geiger counter detecting the rads that she could feel pulsing through the air already. She pulled her arm up and clicked the noise off; they wouldn’t need it here.

_“Up, up performers! It’s time for another show! Though I doubt you’ll even make it to the theater, strangers.”_ The voice came again. There was a shuffling noise from beside them, and a feral ghoul dropped out of the cracked side of one of the buildings, landing with a dull smack on the ground, before trying to right itself and seeing them. Gage put it down with a quick shot, the report echoing off the abandoned buildings.

               “I fucking hate ferals.” Olivia said, ignoring the taunting voice that still came over the loudspeaker. Gage raised a brow at her and shrugged.

               “As long as you don’t let too many too close, we should be fine. Who do you think is talking though?” He asked as they advanced slowly, surveying around corners and inside alcoves.

               “Fuck if I know. But let’s find him and get the fuck out of here.” She said, almost screaming as another ghoul shuffled out from behind a door. It was closer than the last one, and she could see that its mottled skin had been painted absurd colors, as though it was a Pre-War clown or something. She shot it in the head before it could lunge at her, and she tried to bring her heart rate back under control.

               The voice continued to taunt them as they searched the area, taking out feral after feral and slowly getting their bearings on the place. The radiation was pervasive, and now she could see why; whoever still occupied the park had set up the sprayers that once sprayed guests with Nuka-Cola (a really sticky idea), to now spray radioactive sludge everywhere. They did their best to skirt around these, but they had been strategically placed, and the going was slow.

               Soon they found their way into the employee tunnels, dark and dank as they were, they offered some protection from the radiation that filled the air outside. They moved quietly, and after taking out a couple ghouls that shuffled aimlessly through the halls, discovered a room that had been made into some sort of living area. Olivia was about to look through the entries on an old terminal when they heard the voice, the same one they had been hearing over the intercom, but this time it was close, and it wasn’t transmitted.

              “ _What are you doing out of costume again? You know Nuka fires people for breaking character!”_ The voice came from somewhere off to the side, and Olivia and Gage froze. She looked at him and he shrugged, gesturing silently in the direction she had heard the voice. It was continuing, talking to someone who didn’t answer back.

_“The clown make up scares off invaders! And there are new ones in the park.”_ It went on, and Olivia saw Gage roll his eye skyward. She smiled to herself and moved around an old forklift, seeing a small window towards the floor of the next room. Silently she approached it, and saw two figures in a room below. One was a feral ghoul, hunched and newly painted. It was facing a man, but Olivia could see that he too was a ghoul, a glowing one to be exact, and he was dressed in an old magician’s outfit, complete with tails and a top hat.

               “What the-“ She started, but Gage had seen too, and was aiming his rifle through a broken pane. Before she could say anything he took the shot, causing her to recoil, putting a hand to her ear in pain. She didn’t see what happened next, but there was a sudden burst of smoke in the room, and she saw for an instant the glowing ghoul in the room with her, right next to Gage. Gage saw him too and whirled, his gun pulling up for the next shot, but the ghoul disappeared in a puff of smoke once more, popping up again on the other side of the room. Olivia was grasping at her weapon now, pulling the shotgun up and trying to aim it at the ghoul, who was moving quickly around the room whenever they aimed at him. Suddenly the smoke vanished and settled, and Olivia turned around and around, trying to see if he was truly gone.

                “What the fuck? Where did he go?” Gage yelled, whirling around the same as Olivia, searching for the disappeared figure.

                “I don’t know. I don’t fucking know.” She answered, stopping her movements and listening. She could hear nothing, aside from the ringing in her ears and the dripping of water from what she could see now was a pump room of some sort.

                “Maybe he left? Got scared by-“ Gage started, but then the smoke came again, a huge burst from right behind him, engulfing him in a cloud of grey and white. Olivia heard him shout, and a small scuffle, and she aimed her gun up, but could see nothing.

                “Gage!” She called, and she heard the continued sounds of a struggle. She started forward, and then another puff of smoke came in the same place.

                “Gage!” She called again, this time more frantically. The sounds had stopped, and she ran towards the cloud which was beginning to clear now. She reached it, running into the disappearing fog and spinning, looking for any sign of them.

                “Gage what the fuck!” She cried, the pitch of her voice rising in her panic. Suddenly her boot hit something on the floor and she pitched forward, landing hard on her wrist as she reached out to catch herself. She swore violently and pushed herself up, hands going back to her shotgun as she turned to see what she had tripped on. It was Gage’s rifle.

                The smoke had cleared completely now, but she continued searching, checking under the forklift and frantically searching the room they had just come out of. She turned over boxes and tables, opened closets, pulling everything out. She turned in wild circles, looking in places she had already looked and then looking again. A glance into the lower room that the glowing ghoul had been speaking to the painted ghoul in showed only the prone body of the feral ghoul that Gage had shot, nothing else.

               “Gage!” She cried out again, trying to keep her voice steady, but she felt it breaking. She felt the tears welling in her eyes as she came to accept what she had known since she stopped hearing the struggle from the cloud of smoke, since she found Gage’s gun on the ground where he had been moments before.

               Gage was gone. She was alone.

 


	22. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

               Calm. Be calm. She was thinking over and over to herself, breathing in the stale air of the tunnels and exhaling deliberately, trying to think, trying to get control. She was still standing in the middle of the room, trying desperately to figure out what to do next. She had to find Gage, find the glowing ghoul in the top hat that had taken him. Vaguely she remembered the voice mention a fun house, and then a theater. She would have to search there, but first she decided she would check the room they had first seen the ghoul in, the one he had been painting the ferals in.

               She had to slog through irradiated water to get to the room, as the catwalk had fallen in long ago. She could feel the tingle of radiation, hiding just under her skin, and when she got to dry land, she popped a couple more Rad-X and pressed on, feeling slightly better. The room was empty, save the body of the painted ghoul, and she set about searching the terminals for information. She found some journal entries, detailing the plight of some of the performers that had been trapped in Kiddie Kingdom when the bombs fell, and discovered that they had slowly but surely been turned into ghouls. The thought of having to watch yourself and your loved ones slowly change and turn feral sent shivers racing up her spine, and she quickly clicked out of the journal, finding a maintenance menu option that made her heart leap. She could turn the sprayers off.

               She clicked the button, and heard a distant grinding in the pipes around her, then stepped back, satisfied. Heartened she turned, making for the exit of the tunnels, picking up Gage’s rifle and slinging it over her back as she left.

               The sun was high now, and it was stiflingly hot. Olivia surveyed the area around the tunnel exit, and satisfied that she was alone, began out of the alleyway she had been in. She could see one of the sprayers a few feet away, no longer spewing the green filth. As she approached it, however, it suddenly sputtered to life, spraying vileness almost into her face.

               “ _Oh no! You shut off my defenses! Oh wait, I’ll just turn these back on!”_ Came the tinny voice, laughing menacingly as Olivia spat on the ground, her heart sinking back into the pit of her stomach.

               “Where are you!? Where is Gage!?” She yelled, her voice cracking again. She spun, searching for any sign of life, but could see nothing except the speakers that carried the voice.

_“Where do you think she’ll shuffle off? The funhouse? Will she make it to the theater?”_ The taunting voice came again. Olivia fought back the urge to scream, instead turning to one of the park directories that still stood on the edge of the clearing she stood in. She could see the funhouse was close, just around the corner and beyond a couple old rides and set off in that direction.

               The painted ghouls that inhabited the park were indeed creepy and off-putting. It was worse when she approached the teacup ride only to see that it was in motion, spinning the ghouls in a macabre never ending ride that she was obliged to free them from if only so she could navigate her own way through. She almost fell several times, as the ride was still swift moving, but managed to get to the other side in one piece.

                She tried to keep her mind off Gage as she moved, but her thoughts kept returning to him, hoping he was still alive. She had no reason to think the ghoul would kill him, but she wasn’t sure what his intentions were by taking him alive either. Surely if he had wanted Gage dead he would have just killed him in the tunnels and had done with it. But the small anxious part of her brain kept nagging, making her jump at noises and envision Gage’s body, strung up or posed around every corner for her to find. She focused her mind on the area around her, forcing herself to count the windows she passed or note the different types of Nuka-Cola bottles she saw, discarded on the grounds around her.

                She soon found herself in front of the funhouse and took a deep breath before pushing inside the unassuming building. It was dark, only a couple emergency lights still lit the halls of the decrepit structure.

               “ _Welcome boys and girls, to the Funhouse! And aren’t we having fun?”_ The ghoul’s voice rang out, echoing in the small confines of the room. Olivia stepped forward and tested a door that stood just on the opposite wall, finding it chained from the other side. She cursed silently to herself. Could nothing be fucking easy in this place?

               The next door was open however, and led into a room with a mirror maze. The mirrors had tarnished from the years of disuse and no longer reflected much. She took a deep breath and plunged into the maze, trying to ignore the growing stench that seemed to permeate the room. She crept slowly, checking corners with care so she wouldn’t be surprised, once she almost stepped into the path of a laser tripwire, but managed to catch herself and disarm it before it could ignite an oil slick on the floor.

               She turned another corner and almost ran smack into a figure, which she promptly shot at, only to realize it was a strategically placed mannequin. The voice over the loudspeaker taunted her, asking if she was lost and she scowled, fighting the urge to scream at it. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she backtracked, having reached another dead end. The smell was getting worse and with another turn of a corner she could see why; the bloated decaying corpse of a raider lay in the corridor, blood and viscera spraying the dull mirror beside it. She covered her face with her arm and sidestepped the body, fighting down the vomit that threatened to come up. She turned a couple more corners before taking her arm away, the smell receding slightly.

               Her pulse quickened as she saw the exit sign through the glass of the maze, and she turned a couple more corners and was rewarded by finally stumbling out and towards the door to the next room. Steeling herself once more, she pushed through the rusted double doors.

               There was a constant mechanical whirring in the next room, and as she stepped forward she could see where it was coming from. A conveyor belt on the floor was running at a high rate of speed, going in such a way that should she step onto it, it would pull her back into the wall instead of down the hall she now saw she needed to go down. She would have to jump onto it and run as fast as she could to have any hope of getting past it. She glanced down the hall and almost screamed as she caught a glimpse of a figure in a window above the hall. It was the glowing ghoul, watching her with dark eyes shrouded under the brim of the top hat. She met his taunting gaze, but he said nothing now. She couldn’t see any sign of Gage around him, but her heart still leapt at the thought that she may have found him.

               She backed up near the wall and ran, jumping as far as she could onto the conveyor. She almost stumbled as her feet hit the belt, but didn’t falter, breaking into a dead run. She felt ridiculous with the ghoul watching, but noted with some grim satisfaction that she was gaining ground. Just a few more feet and she would be around the corner of the hallway and back on solid ground.

               She heard the click of a grenade bouquet falling. Her mind was torn between stopping and being slammed into the wall behind her or continuing her sprint and possibly getting blown up when the grenades landed beside her. With a _whoosh_ they were flung back behind her, and exploded, the force sending her flying the last few inches that she needed, and she landed with a dull _thud_ on the ground beside the conveyor. She groaned, brushing off bits of plaster that had rained down on her and pushing herself to her feet. The conveyor had stopped now, the grenades having damaged it beyond being able to run anymore.

               After a quick survey of herself to see if she was damaged, she pressed on. The next room had a feral ghoul in it, which she quickly dispatched. As she entered, she saw the room was quite large, with a chasm filled with water separating her from the next door. She could feel the ghoul’s eyes on her, watching her, and she ignored it. There were two spinning Nuka-Cola bottles in the center of the room, with platforms to jump on jutting out from their sides.

               “You’ve gotta be shitting me. This was not suitable for children.” She muttered to herself, pushing her weapon back on its sling and out of her way. She walked to the edge of the gap and looked down. Not a far drop, but far enough to be an inconvenience. She began calculating the jump she would have to make to land on the platform of the first bottle. Stepping back, she counted silently, then ran the couple of steps and launched herself into the air.

               She hit the metal landing hard and very close to the edge. She scrambled up to her feet, bracing herself against the spinning and trying to line up the next jump. The bottles were spinning at two different speeds, and it took a few moments for her to be able to see when the two platforms would be closest together. Finally she felt confident enough to try, and with as much of a running start as she could take, threw herself at the second bottle.

               She made it again, and almost let out a whoop of triumph. She had kept her feet this time as well, and spun around to line up the last jump, the one that would get her to solid ground once more. She let the bottle spin a few times; hearing its rusted gears grinding against one another as she waited for the right moment, then hurled herself at the landing. Her foot caught the railing of the bottles platform and she almost fell, grabbing onto the edge of the floor only by her fingers. She cursed violently and fought down panic. Slowly she began to pull herself up, feeling her arms shake under the strain. Eventually she got herself up and rolled onto the floor, panting with exertion.

               She stood once she had caught her breath and saw a terminal on the wall in front of her. A few clicks on the attached keyboard showed her it was locked, but not with a strong password, and she was able to hack her way in with a couple of key taps. There was only one menu option for something she saw was called the “Hypno Halls”. The option read “Set reduced nausea mode: ON”. She clicked this, feeling a distinctly bad feeling about what was behind the door beside her.

               If this was the reduced nausea mode, she thought as she stepped into a hallway lined with glowing green and black spirals that spun in dizzying circles, she would hate to see it with the mode off. The halls were a convoluted mess, making her head spin and her eyes ache as she tried to navigate the maze. She could hear above the slight hiss of the spinning circles that there were a couple of feral ghouls somewhere ahead, and she pulled her weapon back in front of her. The glowing ghoul’s voice came again over the speakers, taunting her with some joke about the halls. She endeavored to ignore it, instead trying to create a mental map of the maze as she went.

               She turned the last corner and saw them, two ghouls in a small room with a door, hopefully the exit. She creeped up quietly and shot one in the back. It collapsed in a heap on the ground in front of her. The other one let out a blood curdling screech and lunged. She sidestepped it and loosed a shot, catching it in the shoulder. It staggered, giving her enough time to finish the job with a shot to its head.

               She wiped her arm across her brow, only now realizing how hot she was. It was stifling in the funhouse, and the spinning halls had been even worse. Sweat trickled down her back, making her shiver. She pulled a bottle of purified water out and took a few gulps. It was lukewarm, but still helped, she thought. Replacing the bottle she took a firm grip on the door handle and opened it.

_“Feeling dizzy yet? Can’t tell which way is up?”_ The ghoul’s voice came over the loudspeaker. She had to admit it had been disconcerting, opening the door to find a room that appeared to have been turned on its side. Tables with lamps hung to the side of the wall, and on the floor in front of her, there was a door that opened to nothing. They even had a window on the floor that seemed to look out onto some trees and grass. The corner of her mouth twitched up a bit despite her situation; it was a very good illusion.

               This room was empty and she jogged across the way to the next door and flung it open. She very nearly closed it again, seeing the spinning floor and the multitude of ghouls that inhabited it. They saw her, but in a move that could only be described as comical, began running in place as they couldn’t get enough speed to fight the spinning of the floor. They gnashed their teeth and made gurgling and hissing noises at her, but despite their best efforts, the horde couldn’t make any leeway towards her. With an inward smile she dug in her bag, producing a grenade. She pulled the pin and let the handle go, counting for just a second so that when she threw it, it would detonate instantly in front of the ghouls instead of spinning back towards her. She lobbed it and her calculations were rewarded with a shower of ghoul parts as the grenade exploded just as it reached the group of the creatures.

               Now with no distractions she could see that this room would be a fucking nightmare to get through. The floor still spun, and the walls of the circular room were lined with a multitude of different doors, each one with some fucked up shit behind it, she figured. With a resigned sigh, she stepped in, feeling the floor almost knock her off her feet.

               It took some effort but she finally worked out a way to open the doors as she came to them, using the floor to her advantage. Most of the rooms behind the doors held some weird or fucked up tableaus, using either mannequins or teddy bears. She made her way through the doors one by one, dodging bits of ghoul as she went. There was one room that was covered in blood and guts, of what she didn’t know. One room held a bathroom, though she didn’t think it had been for customers when they had come here before the war. There was a shrinking hallway behind a white door, which she almost took, but then found the true exit behind a red door, and finally was able to step onto solid ground again.

               She was in what she thought used to be a gift shop, and could see the chained door ahead of her. To her left was a door that was propped open. She went through it, finding herself in a maintenance tunnel. Her heart was in her throat, and she crept up the stairs, knowing that this was probably where the glowing ghoul had been watching her. She got to the top of the stairs, and came into an empty room.

              “ _Sorry, already gone little raider! But don’t worry, I’ve got plenty more surprises in store for you.”_ The voice came. This time she did scream, a loud shriek of frustration. With no thought for anything she whirled and slammed her fist into the control panel the ghoul had been standing in front of when she was on the conveyor belt. She punched it until she could no longer feel her hand, and then cursed loudly. She was taking heaving, angry breaths that burned her lungs as she tried to calm down.

              She was gonna kill this ghoul when she found him, and she was gonna delight in it.


	23. Uranium Fever

               “King Cola’s Court” loomed up large and oppressive in the dying light of the afternoon. From the maps throughout the park she could see that it was a theater meant to look like a castle, complete with drawbridge and battlements. It was towards the back of the park, and the only place she hadn’t yet searched for the ghoul. She hoped it would be where he was, where he would stay, so she could finally finish this, and hopefully get Gage back. She fought back visions of him, dead or dying, forcing herself to stay focused and alert. After picking off a few straggling ghouls, she finally pushed her way inside the large theater doors.

               “ _You’ve finally arrived! Quickly, the show is about to begin!”_ The ghoul said ominously, causing a shiver to race through her. She crept quietly through the foyer, though she knew the ghoul already was aware of her presence there. It was very dim in the theater, but as she turned the corner past the dilapidated concession stand and into the main stage area, she could see a spotlight shining brightly on the center of the stage. The theater area was littered with the bodies of feral ghouls, lying dead in various positions all over the theater. She kicked one with her boot to make sure it was dead, then, satisfied, trained her weapon on the stage area as a prerecorded message crackled to life over the speakers. It was a woman’s voice, not the ghouls.

               “And now, the show you’ve all been waiting for, Oswald the Outrageous!” It said, and an applause track played, giving Olivia an even creepier feeling than she already had. Nothing happened for a moment, and Olivia kept her gun trained on the stage under the spotlight. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and the ghoul appeared on the balcony above the stage, startling her and throwing her off guard.

               “I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d make it this far. Especially after I took your little friend.” The ghoul said. Olivia’s hand tightened on the gun.

               “Where is he?!” She yelled. The ghoul chuckled.

               “I can tell you two are different than the usual invaders. So I’ll not bother with my usual tricks and illusions.” He said, and then in another puff of smoke, appeared on the ground in front of the stage. She trained her gun on him, but he began speaking once more.

               “When the bombs fell, everything changed. We changed. And somehow, I received a gift. Actual magic, the stuff of legends. Perhaps you’d like to see more?” He said, and before she could react he crouched and his skin began to glow brighter. Then suddenly a wave exploded from him, washing her in the heat of radioactivity. She felt her skin prickle and her stomach knot itself, and then she heard the ghouls around the room begin to stand up.

                "No matter what you do, I can heal my friends! And we will protect what is ours!” Oswald said, and pulled out a dangerous looking serrated sword from a scabbard at his belt. Olivia lurched into motion, swinging her gun up to take out the closest ghoul. It fell in a grunting heap before her, and she moved to the next one. She knew she had to get to the glowing one, for if she didn’t he would keep bringing the feral ones back with his radiation blasts. She searched the room for him and saw him, coming up the center aisle through the rows of decrepit chairs. With a quick shot to an approaching ghoul on her right, she turned towards him, catching him in the shoulder with a shot from her shotgun. He grunted and disappeared in a puff of smoke, appearing directly to the left of her. She saw the gleam of his sword out of the corner of her eye and dodged it just as it came down. She heard the metal cutting air uncomfortably close to her ear.

                She turned and loosed a wild shot in his direction, and hit a glancing blow on one of his legs. He disappeared again, reappearing down by the stage once more. She took out another of the ferals and vaulted over a row of chairs pursuing the glowing ghoul. He disappeared in the smoke again and she swore, but she kept her wits, hoping that he would come up near her again. He did, and this time she was ready, spinning and flinging out a leg, sweeping him off his feet. He let out a surprised cry as he fell, and she trained the shotgun on him and pulled the trigger.

                There was a puff of smoke, and he was gone. She spun around wildly, trying to see where he would pop up next, but he didn’t. She took out the remaining two ghouls, who were caught up on the folding chairs towards the back of the theater.

                _“Sorry, but I’m not going out that easily. The show must go on!”_ Oswald’s voice came again over the loudspeaker. Olivia cursed again.

                “ _It seems your asinine assault won’t be dissuaded. I guess it’s time for the final act. Join me on the roof of King Cola’s Castle, and we’ll see an end to this production.”_ His voice came, ominous and threatening in the quiet of the theater. Olivia swallowed, and then nodded to herself. A quick search of the backstage area found a couple random supplies and an elevator, which she assumed led to the roof. Without hesitation she entered it, slamming the button for the top floor. The old doors ground together, and she felt it lurch into motion.

                She emerged onto the darkened roof of the theater and stepped forward past a support pillar. She moved quietly, keeping an eye out for any sudden movements. By the light of the half moon, she could see a metal catwalk that circled above, and a console in the corner. The night was quiet, and she fought to keep her heartrate slow so she could hear above the pounding in her ears.

                Simultaneously, she heard the “ _shing”_ of metal on metal, and a muffled yell from her right. She swung around to see Oswald standing on the ramp of the catwalk, sword drawn and gleaming in the pale light of the moon. Below him, leaned up against a couple of barrels was Gage. She could see he was bound and gagged, and he struggled against the chains that held him tied to the barrels. He was yelling at her through the gag. Her eyes flitted between him and Oswald, wanting to check and make sure he was okay, but also not wanting to lose sight of the magician.

                “You Raiders are all the same. You come into someone’s home, steal their belongings, and kill the ones they care about! I’m not going to let you kill any more of my friends. This is our home, not yours!” He yelled at her, and she gawked at him, confused.

                “I’m not a Raider! I’m not trying to kill anyone!” She said, dropping her weapon an inch. Oswald scoffed in contempt.

                “We’ve defended this place for 200 years. You think you’re the first outsider I’ve met that decided to brand “feral” ghouls as monsters? How many have you slaughtered while ignorantly thinking you were doing the world a favor?” He yelled, his sword clutched tightly in his hand. Olivia swallowed, wondering suddenly why she was trying to reason with him instead of killing him outright. Obviously Gage felt the same way, as he was still yelling through the gag and struggling against the chains.

                “You’ve been here for 200 years? Why?” She asked, her mind fixating on the number. Oswald had been alive before the bombs, just as she had. He seemed taken aback by this question, and he dropped his defensive posture slightly.

                “We were entertainers here before the bombs fell. After everything that happened, we just decided to stay here, to call this place our home. Over time, the radiation… changed us. It took the minds of my friends and those we loved.” He said, his voice soft with nostalgia. Olivia felt an unwelcome pain of empathy for the ghoul. Suddenly he regained his defensive posture and snarled at her.

                “But I’m going to find a cure. I’m going to find a way to fix my friends before someone like you comes along and slaughters us all!” He yelled, fixing her with a dangerous glare. Olivia shifted her gaze from him to Gage, then back.

                “It’s too late for your friends, Oswald. The radiation consumed their minds, changed them forever. They’re feral.” Olivia said, striving for an understanding tone. Oswald shifted uncomfortably.

                “No, my beloved Rachel left years ago to search for a cure. She’ll be back and then you’ll see, everyone will see that I was right!” He said, voice wavering a bit. Olivia shook her head.

                “But what if she doesn’t come back?” She asked. Oswald’s sword dropped in his hand, hanging limp by his side.

                “She’ll come back. I’ve sworn to defend this place until she does. I’ve waited 200 years. I can wait 200 more.” He said, though she though she heard doubt lacing his voice. She pressed on.

                “If there is a cure, and that’s a big if, then the only way she’ll find it is with your help.” Olivia said, feeling slightly ridiculous at feeding the ghoul’s delusion. His head slumped slightly though.

                “Maybe… maybe you’re right. If Rachel is still out there, I’ll find her and help her search for the cure.” He said, dropping the sword to the ground. He dug in his pocket and tossed a key ring to her.

                “I’ll gather what remains of my friends and leave this place in your care. Don’t worry about the radiation; it will no longer be a burden to you or your kind.” He said, turning on the catwalk. Suddenly he stopped and turned to Olivia, eyes twinkling.

                “I guess I misjudged you, little Raider.” He said, and then in a puff of smoke, he was gone. Olivia dropped her shotgun and scrabbled to pick the keys up, then launched herself towards Gage, who had subsided his struggling and now watched her approach with eagerness in his eye. She ripped the gag off and kissed him fiercely over and over, vaguely aware that his forehead had been bleeding from a rather large gash that had spread blood down over his face. He kissed her back, though weakly.

                “Get me out of these things, will ya’?” He said, his voice coming out hoarse and cracked. She could see slices on the corners of his mouth where the cloth of the gag had cut in. Olivia ran through the keys on the lock until she found the right one and released him. His arms went around her in a crushing embrace, and she felt the metal of his armor scrape her cheek, but she didn’t care.

                “I didn’t know where you were.” Olivia said dumbly, and Gage let out a low laugh, but it was cut off by an explosive coughing fit. She backed out of his arms and dug in her bag for the water, handing it to him. She could see him shaking with the effort of trying to drink, and helped him hold the bottle to his dry lips. He drank deeply for a moment, and then pushed the bottle back, letting out a small sigh.

                “Are you okay?” He asked her, rubbing the area over his cheek where the gag had been tied. She almost laughed.

                “I’m fine. Are you okay? What happened to your head? Has he kept you here the whole time?” She asked, trying to survey his head in the dim light. She thought about turning her Pip-boy light on, but decided against it.

                “He had to brain me to knock me out and tie me up I guess. I wasn’t making it easy for him. And I think I’ve been here the whole time. I’ve taken in a shitload of rads. Don’t think I’m doing too hot in that department.” He said, trying to smile, but wincing as the motion opened the cuts on the sides of his mouth. Olivia dug in the bag and pulled out some Rad-x, dumping a couple pills in his hand.

                “They aren’t the best, but they’ll do until we get you back to Fizztop for some Radaway.” She said, helping him drink again. He nodded and they sat for a moment, letting the pills take effect. It took a minute, but eventually he felt like he could stand again, and slowly they made their way out of the now abandoned park.


	24. Easy Living

                They had staggered back into Fizztop just after midnight. Olivia had known that Gage wasn’t doing well, but when she finally got him to a chair and removed his armor, she could see just how bad it was. He was a sickly greyish color and his lips were cracked and dry. He slumped in the chair and sighed with exhaustion as Olivia ran to collect the Radaway from the chest by her bed. She fumbled a bit with it as her own hands shook from fatigue and anxiety over Gage, as well as her own bit of radiation poisoning she thought.

                “Here we go, Gage.” She said as soothingly as possible, and slipped the cover off the built in needle that was attached to the bag. She swabbed his arm with some vodka from behind the bar and gently poked the needle in, hoping she got it right. She turned the small wheel by the needle and the brownish liquid of the medicine began flowing through the plastic tube and into Gage’s arm. She held the bag, gently squeezing it in one hand, the other hand gently entwined in Gage’s fingers.

                His eye was closed, but he wasn’t sleeping. She could hear his breathing coming in harsh slow drags and willed the medicine to work quickly. She was just starting to see what she thought was color coming back into his cheeks when his eye opened and locked on hers.

                “You look like shit.” He said, mouth twitching slightly. Olivia gaped at him, and then scoffed in mock anger.

                “You’re one to talk. You look like a dead molerat.” She said, lightly squeezing his hand. He laughed and it ended in a sort of wheeze, and he took a swig of vodka from the bottle she had brought before Olivia could protest. She tried to take it as a sign he was feeling better.

                “Go on, boss. Take care of yourself now, I’ll be alright here.” He said, taking the half empty Radaway bag from her hand and giving her a slight shove with the other. She eyed him warily but got up, going to the chest and pulling out another bag of the medication. She sat in the chair opposite him and pulled her arm guards off, then her over shirt, before grabbing the vodka bottle back from Gage and swabbing her arm hastily. She held her breath and lined the needle up, jabbing it in place before giving the small wheel a turn and gently squeezing the plastic bag.

                She felt the rush of warmth in her arm as the medicine entered her bloodstream and immediately went to work. She wasn’t entirely sure how Radaway worked, but she had seen it in action before, and knew it worked relatively quickly, depending on your level of exposure. Another brief glance at Gage showed his skin losing the grey tinge it had, and his movements were becoming surer. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the medicine do its job.

                She didn’t think she had nodded off, but she must have, for a time later she was jolted awake by Gage’s hand gently shaking her shoulder. He had removed the needle from his arm, and even managed to wipe some of the blood from his face. He withdrew the needle from her arm and left the empty bag on the table before grasping her hand and helping her to her feet.

                “C’mon, boss. Let’s get some sleep.”

 

 

                Two days passed before they felt fully like themselves again. They spent it wallowing around Fizztop, lounging lazily in bed as they recovered. Olivia felt like they deserved it. They had cleared the last park. All that remained was to tell the Operators it was theirs, and then turn the power back on. As they lay together, Gage told her what he knew of the reactor that would turn the power back on, which admittedly wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. They lay in silence for a while, watching the sun come up on a new day. Olivia knew she would have to get up soon and go find Mags and William, but she was content to stay curled up in the hollow of Gage’s shoulder for a while longer. Gage shifted slightly under her, and she turned her head to look at him. He was staring at the ceiling, eye fixed on a point above them.

                “What’s wrong?” She asked softly. He didn’t look at her, but made a shrugging movement.

                “Just wondering what’s gonna happen after the power comes back on.” He said. Olivia swallowed and looked up at the ceiling herself. She had been thinking about it as well.

                “I have to go back. Preston, the others will be worried if I don’t.” She whispered. She thought he nodded slightly, but couldn’t be sure.

                “You can come with me. We can make trouble out in the Commonwealth; have adventures like we did here.” She said, as though trying to convince him. He made a low sound in his throat.

                “You wouldn’t have many friends if they saw you runnin’ with a Raider, boss. You know that.” He said. Olivia shook her head.

                “They’ll get over it, I mean, they aren’t all saints themselves.” She said, thinking of Hancock, the mayor of Goodneighbor, and MacCready, the mercenary she had picked up in the same place.

                “Maybe. Or they won’t trust you anymore.” He said, matter-of-factly. Olivia wrinkled her nose.

                “Not to mention that if we both leave this place, who knows what these fucks will do.” He said, gesturing with one hand to the park, now awash with morning light. Olivia scoffed dismissively.

                “We leave all the time to go clear parks, and they haven’t burned the place down yet.” She argued. Gage shook his head.

                “Yeah, well we’re doing something that benefits them, and they know we’ll be back in a couple days. Heading into the Commonwealth, no one will know when we will come back, if we ever do. People will try to take over the Overboss position.” He countered.

                “Well then they take it over. We don’t need this place.” She said quietly. Gage was silent, contemplating for a time. She could feel the heat of his body against hers, and heard the thump of his heart in his chest. She reached out and ran a hand over the hairs that covered him, feeling him shiver beneath her touch.

                “Maybe you’re right.” He said, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm, and then leaning down to kiss her on the mouth. She smiled into the kiss.

                “We should probably get dressed and head down.” She said after they parted. Olivia felt the Raider move beside her, and his hand slip between her legs, caressing her inner thighs softly.

                “Or maybe we can wait a while.” She said, gasping as his fingers found her clit.

                “Yeah, I’d vote for waiting a bit.” He said, voice low and gravelly in her ear. She shuddered at the sound and she felt him vibrate with laughter, his fingers still continuing their ministrations.

                “Do you know you have the most… savage sounding voice sometimes?” She asked in a whisper, her hands tracing the lines of his collarbone and moving down to circle one of his nipples. She reveled in the goosebumps that sprang up on his skin.

                “Is that right?” He said, deliberately deepening and accentuating the tones in his voice now. Olivia planted her teeth in her bottom lip and sighed, feeling the small shocks of pleasure radiating from where his fingers played. She parted her legs slightly more to give him better access, and he took advantage of this by slipping one of his digits inside her, garnering a surprised moan. His fingers were large and amazingly calloused, and she thought she might lose it just from the slow pumps he was giving her.

                “Gage…” She sighed, and he captured her mouth with his, swallowing her moans. She felt the rasp of his stubble on her lips, and imagined she could taste his need on his tongue. With a malicious smile she turned, feeling (with regret) Gage’s fingers come away from her with an obscene wet sound, and swung her leg over him, straddling his hips and gently grinding her own into him. He groaned, his hands digging into the bones of her hips, grasping the curve of her ass.

                “Shit, Boss… don’t tease me now.” He said, his voice coming hoarse to her ears. She laughed softly and took his cock in her hand, feeling the hardness of him. She inched forward, sliding the wetness of her cunt over him and eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the Raider beneath her.

                “Is this what you want?” She asked with mock demureness, teasing the tip of him at her entrance. She felt him twitch under her and half-heartedly buck his hips, trying push inside, but she held him back with a gentle push.

                “Fuck Boss, don’t make me beg.” He said, his eye screwed shut with the effort of self-control. She smiled to herself, and with one last stroke of his cock with her hand, she lowered herself onto him. She went slowly, adjusting to him in her position on top, her body losing all sensation besides the feeling of his cock filling her up. Gage groaned, his fingers kneading the flesh of her hips and ass, and she could tell he was trying very hard not to flip her over and pound the life out of her.

                “Ahh, Gage…” She breathed, pulling him out almost to the tip before lowering herself once more. She met his eye and felt the heat rise in her cheeks, not in embarrassment, but in the realization of the intimacy and vulnerability of the moment.

                Every sense was heightened for her as she slowly moved herself up and down on him, savoring every sound that escaped his lips, feeling every touch of his hands on her skin, of his cock buried inside her. She began to move faster, grinding her hips into his as she sheathed herself fully onto him, before pulling back. Gage had begun to move his hips with hers, matching her rhythm. He was leaned against the headboard of the bed, but at the quickening of her pace, came forward and pressed his face into her chest, his arms going around her waist, pulling her close to him as she moved. She let her hands go to his back, lightly trailing her fingers over his skin, tracing long healed scars.

                She could tell he was losing control, wanting to take over, wanting to fuck her mercilessly. He was twitching with the effort of keeping the pace with her, his mouth finding her nipple and latching on, teeth occasionally scraping her skin, causing her to gasp. Olivia’s legs were beginning to shake, with pleasure or the effort of riding him she didn’t know.

                “Gage… fuck me…” She moaned into his ear, and his eye shot to hers, seeing if she meant it. She did, and he let out a feral growl before grasping her by the hips and, without pulling his cock from her, tossed her onto her back. He grasped her thighs hard and pulled her towards him, burying himself deep inside her. He sighed deeply in benediction, then pulled out, before almost instantly slamming back into her. She gasped and let out a cry of pleasure, and she thought he laughed, but she couldn’t be sure as she quickly lost all coherent thought.

                He was pounding into her with a desperateness that made her cunt clench around him. Stars danced across her vision and she dug her nails into the flesh of his biceps, holding on as the heat began building inside her. Every thrust into her seemed to be hitting just the right places, causing waves of pleasure to radiate all the way down to her toes.

                “Gage! Fuck I’m gonna-“ She cried, and he drowned the rest of her words with a bruising kiss, thrusting with abandon as she went over the edge, her moans of climax muffled in the Raiders mouth. He continued pounding into her for what seemed like hours, but could only have been minutes, before his own movements became erratic and he pulled out of her, spilling hot threads onto her stomach with a guttural groan.

                He collapsed beside her, and they both fought to bring their breathing back under control. Finally he moved, planting a kiss on her forehead before getting up and finding something to clean up with. Olivia watched appreciatively at his lithe form as he bent to retrieve a fallen article of clothing and she sighed, a content smile twitching up the corners of her mouth.

                “I’m definitely glad we waited a bit.”


	25. The End of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, please read this!! This chapter is dark, very violent, and pretty graphic. There is no actual rape, but it is threatened and spoken about. Proceed with caution please!

 

                They found Mags Black outside the marketplace amidst a small group of Operators. Her face lit up at sight of them, and Olivia thought she must have heard of their success at Kiddie Kingdom. Her brother was nowhere to be seen, but she seemed unbothered by this.

                “Mags.” Olivia said cordially as they approached. The Raider inclined her head in acknowledgement.

                “Overboss. I trust you bring good news?” She asked, a hopeful note in her velvety voice. Olivia smirked at her.

                “I think you already know the answer to that. Kiddie Kingdom belongs to the Operators now.” She said, watching Mag’s smile spread from ear to ear. The couple of Operators that surrounded them gave a few excited hoots.

                “Anything…strange we might need to be warned about?” She asked. Olivia chuckled and shook her head.

                “No, I think this one is fully cleared. Take care of it.” She said. Mags nodded at her, the smile still lighting her face.

                “Where’s William today?” Olivia asked, glancing around the street. Mags shrugged.

                “Out in the Commonwealth somewhere, running a job. He should be back before the week is out. He’ll be excited to hear of this new development.” She answered, and with that Gage and Olivia bid her farewell, ducking in the door to the market.

                They picked up a couple supplies, including some alcohol to restock the bar at Fizztop and headed back to the apartment as the sun began sinking below the horizon.

                “So next is the power. We turn that back on and the park is up and running again, right?” Olivia asked as the lift creaked into place.

                “That’s the plan. No one’s been up there since we first… moved in here.” He said, getting quieter at the mention of the Raider’s arrival to the park. Olivia eyed him, but said nothing, going behind the bar to replenish the stash of booze there.

                “So what you’re saying is you have no idea how to turn it on or even if the place is still empty, right?” She said, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of what the trader in the market had said was whiskey. She unscrewed the cap and poured some of the liquid into one of the glasses, then picked it up and sniffed. Satisfied, she filled the other and pushed it towards Gage, who took it eagerly.

                “I suppose that’s what I’m saying. Though when we went up there before, the place was empty, not even a radroach crawling around. Ain’t nothing up there to loot, and it’s pretty far away from the rest of the park, so it really ain’t worth moving into.” He said, and then took a swig from his glass, making a content noise in his throat. Olivia nodded and sipped her own drink, savoring the burn of the alcohol as it made its way to warm her stomach.

                “Another adventure then.” She said finally. Gage nodded and finished off his drink, pouring himself another.

                “Running low on those.” He said, almost under his breath. Olivia frowned at him.

                “I meant what I said, Gage. Come with me. The Commonwealth’s a big place; I could use someone else to help me out there.” She said hopefully. His face was uncertain, staring into the glass again.

                “We’ll see Boss. I just… I dunno. I don’t want you to give up everything you worked for out there just to keep me around. I’d kick myself if you went back to your settlements and they told you to go fuck yourself because you’re shacking up with a Raider.” He said, eye flitting quickly to her face, then away again.

                “And I’m telling you that I don’t care. I couldn’t just leave you, but I can’t abandon them either.” She said, frustrated with the predicament. Why the fuck did he have to be a Raider?

                “Maybe we’ll try it out and see.” He said finally, and Olivia smiled.

                “Sounds good to me.”

 

 

 

                They were awakened the next morning by the sound of the lift coming up. Gage leapt out of the bed, pulling his pants on and grabbing his rifle with a speed that shocked Olivia, who also scrambled to put clothes on and find a weapon, not knowing who would be coming up unannounced to the Overboss’s quarters so early in the morning. Gage padded barefoot and shirtless to the edge, waiting for the lift to come into view, weapon ready in his hands. Olivia held back behind him, her own shotgun stuck in the crook of her arm.

                “Oh, shit. Sorry Gage, Overboss.” The man said as the lift finished its ascent. Gage lowered his weapon and stepped back, making Olivia think he knew the man, who had his hands held up in a show of truce.

                “Skinner. What do you want?” Gage said, his voice guarded but not hostile. Olivia lowered her own weapon and came up behind Gage. The man’s gaze flitted from her, to Gage’s shirtless visage, then to the floor.

                “Oh sorry. Yeah. Um well, there’s a problem out at Safari Adventure.” The man said, with a tone and mannerisms that could only be described as “rat-like”. She saw that, while his armor was mostly subdued, he did have the few bold colors that gave him away as a member of the Pack.

                “Yeah, and what’s that?” Gage asked warily. Skinner glanced at him, his hands twitching at his sides. Chem-addict, Olivia thought.

                “Shank. He’s out there trying to rile the Pack up. Trying to get them out into the Commonwealth-,” His voice dropped into a whisper, and he leaned forward conspiratorially, “-Y’know, by themselves.” He finished. Olivia sighed and met Gage’s eye, which rolled skyward.

                “Alright Skinner, we’ll handle it.” He said, with obvious dismissal. Skinner took this hint and turned on his heel, hitting the elevator button with a shaking fist. Olivia dropped her gun onto the bar and narrowed her eyes at Gage.

                “I knew he’d be trouble.” She said, and Gage nodded, rubbing both his hands down his face in exasperation.

                “Yeah, I know. Let me go deal with it.” He said, walking past her to the bed to retrieve his tank top before pulling it back on.

                “You don’t want me to come with?” She asked. He shook his head.

                “Nah, it won’t be that big a deal. I’m the one that didn’t tell him to fuck off. Plus, if you go out there, there’s more of a chance that he’ll try to convince you to move on the Commonwealth, and unless you suddenly pulled some magical excuse out of that fucking amazing ass you got-,” He said, with a hooded glance at the mentioned piece of her anatomy, “-then it’s better for me to just go and tell him to cut that shit out.” He said, now lacing his boots. Olivia shrugged in acceptance.

                “Okay, but be careful. And be quick. It’s a long walk out there and I don’t wanna sleep alone tonight.” She said, her voice low in her throat, causing the Raider to spin his head towards her.

                “I’ll be quick. Promise.” He said, standing. He grabbed a couple more items before strapping his yellow chest piece on. With a quick movement he tucked his combat knife into his boot and turned to her.

                “See ya tonight Boss.” He said, and kissed her quickly before heading down the lift.

 

 

 

                Olivia took her time getting ready, deciding to go into the market and see the traders, ask around to see if everything was going alright, as well as see if she could glean any more information about the power plant. It was a quiet day, with not many Raiders milling about. She wondered if this was because of the park distribution now, with there being more space for them to roam, so there weren’t as many in Nuka-Town anymore. She still felt uneasy about it for some reason, and tried to push the feeling down as she spoke to the traders and their caravan guards.

                She also stopped in on Mags and William, who was back again, and chatted for a bit about Kiddie Kingdom. Mags wanted to get the Ferris wheel working again, because she thought it might be a good look out spot for the park, it having a 360 degree view of the wasteland around it. Olivia agreed and told her that she and Gage planned to have the power back on before the week was out, possibly even in the next couple days. This satisfied Mags, who offered Olivia a drink, which she then took.

                It was late when she got back to Fizztop, and she half expected to find Gage there, only to be slightly disappointed to see him still gone. The night had a slight chill to it. It was mid-September, she realized, and it would begin to get chilly in the evenings now. She pulled her over shirt tighter around her and sighed, wondering when she should start to worry, when she heard the lift creak behind her and turned, her heart lifting.

                “I was just wondering about-“ She started, but stopped, scrambling backwards when the lift came into view.

                “Wondering what?” A venomous voice came as the elevator came to a stop. Six people flooded into the apartment, surrounding her as though they had practiced it. Olivia could see even in the dark of the night that they were Pack Raiders, and she swallowed hard. Her hand went to her back, touching the grip of her pistol that sat there, but no sooner had she grasped it then one of the group pulled his own gun, training it on her.

                “Ah ah, don’t do that now.” He said, and flicked his head at one of the others to go and grab the gun from her. She watched the barrel of the gun that was now sighted on her, her hands slightly raised. She felt her heart sink as the pistol was wrenched from her person.

                “What do you want?” She asked, but she already knew the answer. They just laughed and ignored her, their eyes going from her to each other, waiting. She was waiting as well, and when the man with the gun stopped paying attention for a moment to whisper to one of the others she crouched, pulling the knife from her boot and throwing it in a deadly spin towards him. It sunk into his neck with a stomach churning “ _thic”_ sound, and the man collapsed in a spray of blood. Olivia lunged forward towards the gun he had held, her fingers just grasping the barrel when a heavy boot caught her in the gut, sending her sprawling backwards, her wind getting knocked out of her.

                “That was a shit idea, bitch.” Came a woman’s voice from behind her, and Olivia had just enough time to shudder at the word before something crashed down on her head, and her world went dark.

 

                She knew where she was before she even opened her eyes. The smell of the Amphitheater stung her nose with its acridness, and she struggled to bring her hand up to cover her face, only to find that she couldn’t. With a start of surprise she found that she was gagged, a foul tasting cloth shoved deep into her mouth, then wrapped in duct tape to keep it in place. She felt the rasp of rope around her wrists and pulled, testing. They were solid. One of her legs was tied as well, but the other was free. She cautiously opened an eye, and saw first that she was in one of the large cages that adorned the courtyard of the stadium. The second thing she saw was that she was surrounded by what had to be most of the members of the Pack, perhaps excluding the few that inhabited Safari Adventure.

                Now that she was coming to herself, she could hear their jeers and taunts, livening now as they saw her stir. She clamped her eyes shut again and strained against the ropes, feeling the burn as they dug into her flesh. No good.

                Quickly she took stock of herself, running from head to toe and assessing damage. Her head ached horribly, but she didn’t think it was bleeding. Aside from that, the ache in her gut from the kick at Fizztop, and the burning sensation in her wrists, she found she was unharmed. She was tied with her arms attached to bars on either side, holding her in a crucified position on the floor of the cage. Her boots were gone, as was her over shirt. She shivered and tried to hide it with another attempt at the ropes, which held fast.

                “The Overboss finally decides the Pack is worth a visit!” Came a familiar voice from near her head. She grimaced beneath the gag, recognizing Mason’s haughty tone.

                “What, nothing to say, _Boss_?” He said, mocking Gage’s accent once more. The barb got a raucous laugh from the crowd, and Olivia squirmed, growling through the cloth in her mouth. Mason came into view now, making his way around the cage to the door by her feet. He swung it open and stepped inside gazing from her to the crowd. She stared at him, fire in her eyes. He laughed, his perfectly sculpted mustache twitching as he did so. He stopped by her waist, crouching to survey her, and reached a hand out, dramatically caressing her face.

                “See, now that wasn’t so bad, huh?” He asked, and she ripped her head away from him. He stood and turned, making like he was going to address the crowd, then turning back in a flash and slamming his booted foot into her side, making all the air go out of her lungs. She saw stars and fought to bring air in through her nose, her heart suddenly racing.

                “This…bitch is no better than Colter!” He yelled, raising his arms to the crowd as he addressed them. Olivia could feel the blood begin pounding in her ears as she realized suddenly why she had been uneasy earlier. There had been absolutely no Pack Raiders in Nuka-Town today.

                “Sure, she cleared some fucking parks. But she let the slaves go! And then fucks off to Fizztop with Gage, her handler… and then…” He said this next part very dramatically, before turning and landing another kick in Olivia’s gut, making her sputter and gasp what little air she could through her nose.

                “And then, we find out, that she’s not only with the fucking Minutemen… she’s their fucking General!” He roared, and the crowd roared back, slinging insults and spitting down at her from beyond the bars. She suddenly knew this was very bad. The mention of the Minutemen was bad enough, (how did they even find out? She had been so careful), but Mason knowing her status with them…

                “So I think-,” Mason began, turning back towards her, and observing her with a glint in his eye that made her stomach clench, “-I think we should show her what the Pack thinks of bitches that work for those fucks!” He said, and bringing his foot up, crashed it back down on her outstretched hand. She watched it in slow-motion, his foot descending, and her not able to move the hand out of the way. It crunched and she felt the bones grinding and cracking, the reverberation of it moving snakelike up her arm. She screamed behind the gag, making the Raiders around her laugh.

                The swelling was instant, and within a moment she couldn’t even feel her left hand anymore. Still, tears streamed from her eyes as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. Suddenly, and for the first time, she realized that she was about to die here.

                Mason circled her like a lion circling a gazelle, his eye locked on her, as though assessing what part of her to hurt next. Her body was strung tight as piano wire, waiting for the next blow. She wondered desperately where Gage was, suddenly terrified that he was in a similar situation somewhere. Another thought struck her that made the bile rise up in her throat. He couldn’t be in on it, was he? No. She forced that thought from her head. He wouldn’t do this to her.

                Mason landed a kick to her ribs, and she felt the spreading warmth feeling of broken bones beneath skin, and knew that at least two were cracked. She wondered how long this would go on for; would he kick her to death? Would he shoot her? Let the rest of the Pack tear her literally limb from limb?

                Swiftly Mason was straddling her, his knees on either side of her hips, his huge hand grasping her chin, forcing her to look at him, his fingers digging into her jaw bones so hard she knew there would be bruises. He was very close, staring into her face, his mouth twitched up in an almost maniacal smile. He smelled of beer, chems, and the musk that permeated the place. She tried to wrench from his grasp, but he held tight.

                “Y’know, I asked Gage nicely for a turn with you. I think he’s had you long enough, selfish basta-“ He yelped as Olivia, taking advantage of his monologue, reared her head back and threw it forward, head-butting him with all her strength. She saw stars at the resulting crack, but was satisfied at the noise he made. She had hoped to break his nose, but his grip on her chin had made it so the blow hit him full force in the forehead, causing him to fling his hand to the area to check for damage.

                “You little bitch.” He growled, then began a new assault, slamming his fists into her face over and over with a rage that she could feel tense his whole body. She felt her nose break, the hot spurt of blood running down over her face as he continued pummeling her, blackening one eye and probably breaking her cheekbone. He was red faced and panting, repeating the word “bitch” over and over again under his breath. Finally he stopped, grasping her by the neck but not squeezing, just forcing her to look at him again. Olivia could feel some of her teeth wiggling loosely in her jaw as he toyed with her neck.

                “I’m gonna fuck you. And then I’m gonna let all my guys take their turn. And then I’m gonna skin you alive, cunt.” He growled, his voice dangerous in her ear. This threat normally would have made the hairs stand up on her neck and her stomach drop, but Olivia was rapidly becoming aware of another, possibly more serious problem arising. With the gag in her mouth and her broken nose, air was becoming harder and harder to get. She blew out through her nostrils, sending blood and mucus spraying, but her sinuses were rapidly swelling, rendering this effort inconsequential. He was laughing above her, and she could feel him, hard against her stomach as she struggled. She wondered dully if he was getting off to seeing her like this.

                She was vaguely aware of Mason still straddling her, a knife in his hand, and his sudden movement that tore the light undershirt in half up her sternum, exposing her chest to the chill of the air. There were whoops from the crowd, almost deafening, but she couldn’t focus on them. She was desperate to get air, pushing her tongue at the gag, shaking her head violently back and forth in an effort to get it off as the last of the passage through her nose closed up. Panic rose in her chest as she became aware that she could no longer breathe at all.

                Her chest burned from lack of oxygen and spots began to swim before her eyes. She was completely unaware of what Mason was doing, only able to feel her body’s desperate bid for the air she couldn’t get. Abruptly, she felt Mason’s weight disappear from her body, being jerked away. She struggled, her mind going fuzzy, and she thought she saw a glimpse of yellow in front of her, before the edges of her vision began to go grey.

                With a violent pull that ripped at her skin the tape over her face was gone, and a large hand was digging into her mouth, pulling the disgusting cloth out, before returning to scoop out blood and mucus (and a tooth?). She gasped violently, drawing air into her screaming lungs with single minded fervor. She was half-conscious of her arms being freed, and the sounds of shouting and scurrying people around her, and then Gage’s face filled her frame of vision, his face contorted in a mixture of rage and concern.

                “Fuck, Flynn, breathe!” He was telling her, his hand behind her neck as she continued gulping air until she thought her lungs would burst. She sat up, much to her body’s protests and through her hazy vision saw Mason collapsed in the corner of the cage, bleeding profusely from his nose and laughing.

                “She’s with the fucking Minutemen, Gage! She fooled you, just like Colter did. Another failure!” He was yelling, but Gage was ignoring him, his hands hovering over her as though unsure where to touch first.

                “Flynn, hang on. You’re okay now. I’m gonna-,” Gage was saying, but Olivia ignored him, her unblackened eye finding the combat knife in his boot, and grasping it with her good hand, pulled it free. She lunged at Mason, who, was still yelling about her position with the Minutemen. Whether from pain or confusion, he failed to notice her.

                The knife was sharp, Gage always kept it that way, and she felt the blade slide cleanly into Mason’s neck, cutting him off mid-sentence.  She almost pulled her hand away in shock at how hot the blood that rushed out was, coating her hand in a dramatic spray. His eyes met hers in dumb surprise.

                “Don’t call me a bitch.” She rasped, and watched as his eyes rolled up, unblinking.

                Olivia pulled the knife out with a squelching sound that curdled her already sensitive stomach and she turned away, vomited neatly on the concrete floor, then spun slowly around to Gage, handing his knife back. He stared at her, but took it gently in his hand, replacing it in his boot without bothering to wipe it off.

                She struggled to her feet amidst Gage’s protests. Her head was spinning, but she was able to take in her surroundings. The Pack had scattered. She could see Nisha and a couple Disciples; she thought maybe Dixie and Savoy, their guns ready, standing near the entrance of the Amphitheater. Mags and William were by the throne, keeping watch. Olivia pulled the tattered remains of her shirt to cover herself, suddenly remembering her bare chest.

                “Gage?” She said, feeling the word come out with immense difficulty, and almost laughing at the nasally sound her voice had. He was at her side, her elbow grasped in his hand.

                “Yeah Boss?” He answered as she began limping, as straight as she could, out of the Amphitheater.

                “Is he dead?” She asked, feeling her tongue working with the effort of speech. Gage was still clutching her arm hard, but trying to let her move on her own. He glanced back, but it wasn’t needed.

                “Yeah. He is.” He said as they reached the door. He murmured something to Nisha as they passed her, and she nodded solemnly, turning to go towards Mags and William. She and Gage stepped out into the street of Nuka-Town, letting the junk door fall with a thud behind them. She walked a couple more steps. It was very late at night, and the street was empty, lit only by the light of a nearby fire barrel.

                “Gage?” Olivia called again, and she felt very funny. Her head was suddenly extremely heavy, and her ears rang so loud she felt she might have to yell to be heard, if she had been capable of yelling.

                “Yeah Boss.” He said, the concerned tone in his voice more pronounced now that they were alone.

                “I’m gonna pass out now.” She said, and promptly did, the world fading to black around her.


	26. If I Didn't Care

               Her dreams were disjointed, confused; shadows lingering in the corners of her vision, words whispered too quietly to make out completely. Sometimes, she would swim to the brim of consciousness, only to be pulled back into the embrace of oblivion. She thought she could feel the warm flow of stimpaks through her veins during her close forays to the surface of alertness. Every now and then, when she was on the brink of awareness, she could swear someone was speaking to her, saying her name, “Olivia, Olivia” over and over. It seemed an eternity before she was able to open her eyes, before her mind sorted itself into coherent thoughts once more.

                When she finally did awaken, she was rather surprised to see Mags Black sitting on a chair beside the bed she lay in. The woman was balancing the chair on the back two legs, one foot pushing against the metal of the frame, rocking her slightly back and forth. She was intently cleaning underneath her carefully sculpted nails with a switchblade. Olivia turned her head towards her, and that slight movement sent lightning bolts of pain shooting through her. She stopped moving, bringing the pain that she felt throughout her body back to a dull ache, permeating through the remaining haze left from her sleep.

                “You gonna try to kill me too?” Olivia asked, startled to hear her voice come out as a barely audible rasp. Mags’s eyes flitted to her, widening slightly in surprise before assuming their usual look of interested detachment.

                “If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead, Overboss.” She said, letting the chair fall back onto all of its legs and tucking the switchblade into a pocket on her leather armor.

                “Fair enough.” Olivia said hoarsely. Mags reached to the table beside her and grabbed a canister of purified water, opening it and gesturing to Olivia with it. Olivia gingerly raised herself into a sitting position, the movement sending shards of pain through her and making her eyes water. She started to grit her teeth, but felt the looseness of them and thought better of it, instead breathing sharply through her nose. She found that she had been redressed in a loose shirt, whose, she didn’t know.

 She reached out with her right hand, finding the left one splinted and taped up in a bizarre mockery of the appendage. She thought she had been given several stimpaks sometime, but wasn’t sure how much they had helped; she couldn’t remember the pain levels before she had passed out to compare them.

                “Thanks.” She said, taking the water and bringing it to her lips. She drank slowly, feeling the water burn her raw throat. Eventually, after a few sips, the burn faded, becoming a soothing sensation. She kept hold of the water, but dropped it from her mouth. She prodded carefully with her tongue at her teeth; she was missing one, a back molar. A few others around it were loose, but she thought if she was careful they may set themselves again.

                “How long?” She asked Mags eventually, her voice stronger now. The woman was observing her with mild interest. At the question she sat back, propping her foot back against the bed frame and leaning the chair again.

                “Three days.” She answered, still watching. Olivia wondered if she should feel uncomfortable or not, but decided she didn’t have the energy to be concerned about it.

                “Gage?” This question received a quirked brow.

                “I imagine he’s out doing damage control, making it seem like things are still running smoothly, like you’re up here plotting instead of being half dead.” She answered, and now it was Olivia’s turn to cock an eyebrow, though she winced as she did, feeling the swollenness of her face react to the expression.

                “Aside from you, Gage, me, William, and Nisha and her goons, nobody except the Pack knows what happened inside the Amphitheater that night. And the Pack sure isn’t talking…” She said, trailing off ominously. Olivia cleared her throat then sipped the water again before proceeding.

                “Why isn’t the Pack talking?” Olivia asked, deciding to start there. Mags sighed, but not in irritation, at least not irritation at her.

                “I’ll start after you left that night. We were rounding them up, the Pack, making them turn in their weapons and shit. Gage told Nisha that we would deal with them later, just to hole them up in the Amphitheater until you could decide what to do with them. I wanted to just kill the whole lot, but I guess it’s not up to me…” She said, derailing the story momentarily. Olivia fixed her with a hard look, and she straightened up, continuing.

                “It was pretty easy, they were all confused and messed up from Mason getting killed; they take that whole Alpha Pack leader shit seriously there. We were pretty sure we could contain them in the Amphitheater, taking guard outside the door, that kind of thing.” She said.

                “Wait, does everyone know Mason is dead?” Olivia interrupted, and Mags brow furrowed, as though remembering.

                “Oh, guess I skipped that part. Well the official story is that you went to pay a visit to the fucker and he attacked you, giving you cause to kill him. Which I guess is true, if you leave out the kidnapping and torture part of it.” She said, rather callously, and Olivia almost laughed, surprising herself.

                “Anyways, we thought we had the Pack idiots well contained, just figuring to wait until you woke up and told us what to do with them. But we didn’t count on them finding another Alpha that quick. And we also didn’t count on them vaulting the fucking walls at 3 in the fucking morning.” She said, the ire rising in her voice. Olivia thought that this escape may have happened on her watch.

                “So, where are they now?” Olivia asked once the Raider had regained her composure. She half shrugged.

                “Up at the old power plant, of course.” She said with finality. Olivia sighed. Of course they were.

                “From what we can tell they’ve re-armed themselves and bunkered down. What they mean to do up there is beyond me, but Gage hasn’t let us do much, he’s wanted to wait til you woke up and get your two cents.” She added. Olivia nodded slowly.

                “So everyone thinks I’m up here plotting how to get them out of the power plant?” She asked. The woman nodded. Olivia pursed her lips, and then stopped, frowning at the pain in her jaw it caused.

                “Gage wouldn’t let us give you anything other than stimpaks. I can get some Med-x if you want it though? Take the edge off.” Mags asked, completely without malice or ulterior motive. Olivia softly shook her head.

                “Nah. I’m alright.” She said. Mags shrugged, but gave her a look that said that she doubted very much that she was “alright”.

                The lift made the creaking sound that meant someone was coming up, and Mags turned her head to the sound, and then got up.

                “That’ll be Gage.” She said, so confidently that Olivia thought he must have told her exactly when he’d be back. Sure enough, a minute later the yellow armor popped into view.

                “Get better soon, Boss.” Mags said, in a tone that was, to Olivia’s surprise, completely sincere. The woman walked over towards the lift, passing Gage with a nod. Gage barely noticed her, however, upon seeing Olivia awake and sitting up. He was to the bed in a second, his eye flitting nervously over her. Olivia’s heart lightened seeing him and she smiled, despite the protests from her cheeks.

                “Oliv- I mean, Flynn, how do you feel?” He asked, his face flushing as he almost used her first name. Olivia felt her heart squeeze at it, and she wondered if it had been him saying her name as she slept.

                “I feel like shit. Probably look worse.” She answered, hoping for a smile on his concerned face. The corner of his mouth twitched, but she didn’t think it could be counted.

                “You don’t look that bad, Boss.” He said quietly, sliding the chair Mags had been in next to the bed, and surveying her. She took another soothing sip of water before continuing.

                “You’re a bad liar, Gage.” She said. That got a huff of air that might have been a laugh. They were silent for a time, each looking at each other, before Olivia sighed.

                “Tell me what happened. Please.” She asked, voice barely audible. She wanted to know what had happened to him after he left that day, how he knew to find her, what he was thinking. He grimaced, but set his face. His fingers were lightly resting on her unbroken ones. The touch felt good to her sore body.

                “Well, I went all the way out to Safari Adventure, my dumb ass believing that Shank really was out there causing a stir. I walked quick but it was still late afternoon by the time I got there. The fuckers dicked me around for a while, saying they had to track Shank down again, that he was in different buildings of the park or whatever. I started getting suspicious, calling them out, saying I was leaving.” He started, his eye darkening at the memory.

                “Of course he wasn’t there, and the minute I realized that they surrounded me and took my weapons. Told me they weren’t gonna kill me, I was valuable, I had just gotten…tangled up…in you.” He said, and he gently stroked his forefinger over the back of her hand. She could tell how agitated he was at the telling and laced her fingers with his.

                “They marched me into a building. I was too angry and distracted to realize which one, but it only took one whiff of the place to realize where they put me.” He said. Olivia’s eyes widened, and he nodded.

                “Your old pal Cito recognized me. Seems he’s been living pretty good out there, all the Pack members are scared shitless of him and his “family”.” He said, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.

                “I told him what happened, that you were in danger and that I needed to get out of there. I think you got a secret admirer or something, because when I told him that he got this wild look in his eye, I mean, wilder than usual. He started grunting and shit to his gorillas, and they got all riled up.” He said, and Olivia smiled, imagining the scene in her head.

                “He explained the plan to me, that they were gonna rush out and start bashing heads in and shit, and that I should make a break for it as soon as I could. I guess the fuckers thought Cito would keep me in my place, cause they didn’t even bother tying me up.” He continued. His hand was still now, but entwined in hers and she squeezed it slightly, comforted by his presence.

                “It happened really fast. They were out the door and attacking people before the Pack even knew what hit them. There’s only a dozen or so of them out there, I guess most of them had come back here to…” He trailed off, his eye meeting hers for just a moment before darting away.

                “Anyway I grabbed a gun off the nearest body and booked it. I sprinted full tilt all the way back here, but I had been out there too long, wasted too much time. When I finally made it back to Fizztop, all I found was the body of that dead Pack member. You kill him?” He asked, stopping the story for a moment. Olivia glanced at the lift, where the body had fallen that night and nodded.

                “Yeah. There were six of them though. I didn’t stand a chance.” She said quietly. Gage’s hand tightened on hers.

                “Still. That was a nice throw.” He said, swallowing hard. She could see the pulse throbbing in his neck, the memory of that night making adrenaline course through him once more.

                “Anyway, I saw that and knew everything had gone tits up, as if I needed more confirmation. I gathered up Nisha and Mags and William, and we made some semblance of a plan. Basically it was hope the element of surprise was enough for me to get in and get you and, if there was time, kill Mason. So it went more or less according to plan. There were a lot of the Pack there, but we took them so unaware that they didn’t have time to see how many of us there were, just bolted. They’re a bunch of fucking morons without Mason to tell them what to do.” He said, finishing. Olivia let a small smile spread across her face, judging the pain level as she did so. Not so bad.

                “Just in time too.” She said, remembering with a start just how close it really had been. Another couple of seconds…

                “I honestly thought I was too late.” He started, and his voice cracked, making Olivia’s eyes dart to him. He was still in control, but his face was pale. He gulped and got his composure back.

                “You were just all purple and… Fuck Olivia I thought you were dead! I thought that fucker killed you.” He said, and she felt her pulse quicken as he said her name. He didn’t seem to notice, he was just staring at her, as though trying to reconcile that sight with the sight of her now. She squeezed his hand, willing herself not to cry; she thought the sting of tears was not one pain she needed right now.

                “I saw you twitching after I knocked the shit out of Mason a couple times. That’s when I pulled the gag off.” He whispered. Olivia nodded, remembering the absolute bliss that breathing had been.

                “I never should have left you. I’m a fucking idiot. I should have known something was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He said, desperation lacing his voice.

                “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” And he hung his head, his free hand running through his Mohawk.

                “Gage don’t… We both should have known. We were so caught up in clearing all the parks, in what came next… I didn’t think about it either.” She said, trying for a soothing tone. His head came up and he fixed her with a deep look, his eyes shining with tears he was trying to fight back. The sight made Olivia’s own throat tighten and the back of her eyes burn. He looked away, focusing intently on their hands, still locked together.

                “You took 10 stimpaks, and still I thought you would die. I had to bribe, cheat, lie to get them all, and _I still thought you were gonna die_. I didn’t know what else to do. Mags and William were quiet, but Nisha kept asking me what was happening next, when we were moving on the Pack, who the next Overboss would be if you did…die.” He said, the word coming out so softly Olivia barely heard it. She scoffed, she knew Nisha had some redeeming qualities, but loyalty was not one of them. Still, she couldn’t find it in herself to be pissed, Nisha was, after all, just thinking practically.

                “But I didn’t die. And I’m not planning on it. And in a couple days we can go up there and clear those fuckers out just like we cleared any of the other parks.” She said, and Gage’s eye shot to hers, gauging her seriousness.

                “Boss, I don’t know… Maybe you should take more time…” He started, but Olivia cut him off with a look.

                “It’s already been three days, right? Three days that everyone is wondering what I’m doing up here? I can’t let them think I’m letting the Pack get away with it.” She said, her resolve hardening.

                “I just need a couple more days. Send scouts up there to see what they can see. Pick off any stragglers. Just don’t engage fully until I can be there.” She said, completely confident in her orders. Gage nodded absently, taking in her order, but not moving.

                “I’ll tell them later. Now can I just… can we just… sit?” He asked, glancing warily at her. She smiled, the small smile that hurt the least, and nodded.

                “Yeah, I’d like that.” She said, and she felt some of the tension go out of him. It went out of her as well; she had not been looking forward to him leaving again.

                “I gotta say Flynn; I don’t think anyone is ever even gonna think about the “b” word around you after seeing how you killed Mason.” He said, his tone striving for lightness. Olivia grimaced slightly, remembering the feel of his blood rushing over her hand, how the knife had cut through veins and sinew like butter.

                “Yeah, maybe. I guess we’ll see.” It was quiet again, the silence not uncomfortable, but each of them finding solace in the other, just in their nearness. Olivia inhaled deeply before speaking again.

                “Gage?” She asked, and the Raider’s hazy green eye locked on hers.

                “Yeah Boss.” He responded automatically.

                “I think… you can maybe call me Olivia. If you wanted.” She said, and he smiled. The first real smile she had seen light his face since she woke up. He nodded.

                “Alright, Olivia.” He said, saying it slowly as if tasting every letter. She smiled at the sound of it coming out in his deep accented voice.

                “Though I may still call ya’ Boss. Kinda a habit at this point.” He said, and the two of them laughed softly together, hands still linked on the bed.


	27. Maybe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking in this one, the moral struggles and such. More action in the next chapters! Getting close to the conclusion! I already have ideas for a sequel of sorts, if there is interest. Let me know in the comments!

 

 

               

                The next day Olivia insisted on going out into the park to gauge the situation for herself, as well as try to run some kind of damage control, letting herself be seen and ensuring those Raiders that were out and about that she was working on a plan to retake the power plant, to drive out the remaining Pack members, and to return power to the rest of the park. Whether out of respect, fear, or just disinterest, most of the Raiders refrained from staring at her battered face, and the few that did didn’t for long, as Gage made a point to stand directly behind her, his best menacing stance in play.

                Olivia had been slightly worried about the morale in the parks. She had been out for three days, with Gage and the Blacks running interference for her, Nisha not really hindering or helping. Mostly she had been worried that the other gangs would get something of the same ideas that Mason had, especially with her disappearance making it seem like she had given up, letting the Pack get away and forgoing any more progress towards turning the power back on. As she made her rounds, however, she was pleasantly surprised to find most of the Raiders in high spirits. They were eager to take care of the remaining Pack members, and this made them antsy, but for the most part, Olivia didn’t feel any dissent amongst them.

                “It’s because you’re a fucking good Overboss.” Gage said as the two exited the Marketplace after meeting with the traders. Their stocks of goods were low; the resupply caravan had been taken out by a group of Raiders (not Nuka-World Raiders), outside of Diamond City, and they were waiting for the next one to come through. Olivia had thought to send a group of Operators out to dispatch this rival gang, but thought better of it, knowing that sending more Raiders that close to the city would probably cause more harm than good. She had been hoping to get another stimpak or two, maybe some buffout to help her sleep, but Gage had cleaned out their supplies of stimpaks three days prior, and the traders were lucky to keep any other drugs on them for any amount of time.

                “It’s because they think that the next step after the power comes on is moving on the Commonwealth.” She said, grimacing slightly at the dull ache in her side. Gage had argued fiercely with her that morning about whether she was ready to move. It was only after she threatened to leave without him, after he was out on his rounds that he agreed, only after noting that he should just tie her to the bed and be done with it.

                “Could be, but I think that taking out Mason may have just bolstered your reputation. I mean all the gangs that are left hated the fucker, hated the Pack, and so they see you got rid of another problem for them. Helps they don’t know exactly how it all happened though.” He said, his hand going to the small of her back as she tripped on the uneven pavement. She waved a hand weakly at him.

                “Well, whatever it is I’m glad they’re still on our side. I can’t take another coup right now. I think I’d just let them kill me. Better than feeling like the chewed shit I feel like right now.” She said, her voice low.

                “Ready to head back then?” Gage asked, and Olivia could hear the hopeful note in his voice. His face was creased with worry, though he kept it masked when they were in close sight of any people. She knew he just wanted her to sit down and rest, and right now, she was inclined to do just that.

                “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” She said, wiping a hand across her face. She was sweating bullets, though the day held the slight chill of coming autumn. She pulled at the fabric of her over shirt, which was quickly becoming plastered to her body. She felt flushed, but not feverish, the heat coming only from the exertion on her injured being. She thought about Mags’ offer of Med-X the day before, wondering if the relief from the drug would be worth it, but shoved that thought down; she would settle for a stiff drink back at Fizztop.

 

 

                They made it back around midafternoon, Olivia no longer keeping up the façade of strength, instead letting herself lean heavily on Gage as they rode the lift up to the apartment, and all but falling into one of the armchairs nearest them. Gage watched her for a second and then turned to grab a couple glasses from behind the bar, filling them with what Olivia assumed was whiskey, and returned, handing her one of the cups before removing his yellow armor, sitting in the chair next to her, and taking a deep drink of the liquid.

                Olivia sipped at hers, fighting back a hiss from the burning it caused in her bruised throat, but grateful for the warmth that soon began to spread to her limbs. She took another sip before touching her face gingerly with tentative fingers. She had been avoiding reflective surfaces, and had mostly avoided touching the tender areas out of fear of what she might feel. She knew her face was still grossly swollen, that she could feel without touching it, but she didn’t know what outward damage there was. Gage had set her broken nose as she was unconscious, he told her that much, saying he didn’t want it to end up looking like his, but now she could feel that even with it being set, it would probably heal at a very different angle than it had been before.

                She pursed her lips at the thought, and then shrugged inwardly. Honestly it was a surprise it had taken this long for her to have it broken. The rest of her face was puffy and sore, one of her eyes was blackened, and though she could see from it, it watered frequently and tended to go out of focus. Her teeth were still somewhat loose, though they seemed to be settling again, fixing themselves back around the empty place where one of her molars had been knocked out.

                “It really ain’t that bad Boss.” Gage said, and she looked up to find him watching her intently. She dropped her hand and stared into her cup.

                “Yeah, well it feels that bad.” She said, draining her drink with a gulp. She set the glass down on the floor next to her. She closed her eyes against the brightness of the afternoon and sighed, trying to let the alcohol dull the throbbing in her head. It was quiet for a long time. She could feel Gage’s eyes on her, but tried to ignore it. She heard him shift, but he didn’t get up.

                “Olivia, we gotta talk about what’s gonna happen after the park is lit up.” He said, his deep voice cutting the air like a knife. Olivia frowned, and then grimaced at the pain that caused, and opened her eyes.

                “What do you mean?” She asked, knowing full well what he meant. He stared pointedly at her, his expression telling her that he knew she knew exactly what he meant as well. She sighed.

                “I don’t know, Gage. I just know we aren’t moving into the Commonwealth. I can’t do that.” She said, gingerly touching her hand to the top of her head, which seemed to be the only part of her body that escaped bruising.

                “I know, but they don’t. And they ain’t gonna like that answer.” He said, gesturing out over the park.

                “Well then they can find a new Overboss.” Olivia said, and she knew it sounded petulant. But at the moment, she didn’t very much care about that. Now it was Gage’s turn to sigh. He ran a hand over his face, and then turned his gaze directly to hers.

                “They know now. The leaders of the other gangs. Mason wasn’t exactly quiet about it as I was digging blood and shit out of your throat.” He said, and Olivia felt her chest squeeze at the memory.

                “They know who you are. Now whether they believe it or not is still up in the air. But Mason wouldn’t have been screaming that you were the General of the Minuteman unless he had some kinda idea about it. They ain’t stupid. And you saying that you’re not gonna move on the Commonwealth with no good reason is just gonna add to the evidence that Mason was right about it.” Olivia swallowed hard. She vaguely recalled hearing Mason’s voice calling to Gage as he was ripping the gag off her, but her memories were clouded by lack of oxygen and the relief of breathing again.

                “I don’t know about the Blacks, they seem to like you, and as long as they’re pulling in caps I don’t think they give two shits about who you are. And Nisha is such a loose cannon it could go either way; as long as you don’t take the Gauntlet from her. But I know that if they know that we aren’t moving on the Commonwealth because you’re the General of the goddamned Minutemen and that’s it, then they ain’t gonna take too kindly to that.” He said, trying to keep his voice steady. Olivia remembered waking up to see Mags, the switchblade in her hand, nonchalantly sitting over her. What had been going through her mind when Olivia asked her if she was there to try to kill her too?

                “So what then? I just stay here? I take all you Raiders out into the Wastes to destroy everything I’ve worked to build?” She asked harshly.

                “It has always been the plan to get the lights on here, to make this place a force to be reckoned with, but it’s also always been the plan to get us out doing jobs in the Commonwealth, establishing bases out there, places to run money and supplies through-“

                “You mean places where you can extort and abuse people who work hard for what they have?” Olivia said, cutting Gage off. She squinted at him. His face fell into an almost pitiful expression.

                “That ain’t-,” He began again, but Olivia held up a hand.

                “One of the first settlements I stumbled across searching for my son was a farm just outside the place I lived before the war. It’s run by this family, hard workers, good people. They tend the land, they make their living. They do what they can to thrive out there. But when I met them, they had just lost their daughter. Some Raiders that had been shaking them down for their crops came through, and she stood up to them, told them they had to stop, that they wouldn’t be giving them anything else. They killed her, right in front of the rest of her family.” Olivia said, remembering Abernathy farm, and the father whose voice broke at the telling of the story.

                “Raiders are just lazy, Gage. You don’t wanna put in the work yourself to make an honest living, so you take what others make for themselves, and then call them weak for not standing up to you. You steal, pillage, and rape and then act superior when people cower in fear of you. I won’t add to that fear. I’m not gonna be complicit in that kinda violence. Not if I don’t have to. I’ll leave before I let that happen.” She said, meeting his eye steadily. He stared at her, not coldly, but just observant, mulling her words over. She knew this topic was a sore spot between them; he disliked being lumped in with the other Raiders, but she wouldn’t let him forget, no matter what she felt for him, that he was part of the problem. His fists were balled on the arms of the chair and she let her gaze fall to them. He noticed and flexed his fingers wide, and then relaxed them.

                “Your plan really is to leave after the power comes back on then, isn’t it?” He said, and there was a gruff note to his voice that surprised Olivia, almost as if he was hoping she would have changed her mind by now.

                “If that’s the only way that I can get out of this without bringing a huge camp of fucking Raiders into the Commonwealth, then yes, I’ll leave. They can find a new Overboss for all I care.” She said, gesturing widely to the park around them. Gage scoffed.

                “You’d let some fuck come in and just take over all the work you did? Just lay claim to everything?” He said, a slight edge in his voice. Olivia sighed, she was suddenly very tired, and this conversation always led back here.

                “Gage, I know things have changed between us since we first met. But I think you’ll remember the circumstances that I became Overboss in, and how much I didn’t want it in the first place. Don’t mistake the fact that I did all this for me wanting to. I did most of it because I had no other choice, and I did the rest of it for you, because of you.” She said, watching the impact of this on him. His eye darted to hers, and then narrowed.

                “C’mon, you don’t think I would have fought a Gatorclaw tooth and nail, and then dragged your heavy ass up into a tree just for fun, do you?” She asked, stifling a yawn.

                “You’re telling me you stuck around just for me?” He said cautiously. Olivia smiled, wincing at the soreness of her face.

                “At first it was for the slaves, honestly.” She said. He gave her a pointed look.

                “No one would be able to help them if I wasn’t here. None of you would have. But after Safari Zone… Well really after we “hate-fucked” after Galactic Zone, I knew you were gonna be… an issue.” She said, letting a light tone slip into her words. A smirk played across Gage’s face.

                “I guess I stuck around to see how this would play out. See if I could convince you to come out into the Commonwealth with me. I’m not naïve enough to believe you’ll hang up your _Raider ways_. I know that. But there’s plenty of trouble we can get into out there, even if a lot of it happens to be helping people out.” She said. Gage’s eye was fixed on hers, the smirk now just a ghost on his face.

                “Ain’t gonna be many people out there that will want your help if you roll in with a Raider, Boss.” He said, dropping his gaze. Olivia shrugged dismissively.

                “Well, that’s up to them. But I’m not going to be at the head of an army of Raiders that I’m leading to stake claims on the Wasteland. So once the power is back, I’ll leave. If they want me to be Overboss still, if they can deal with having Nuka-World and simply running jobs into the Commonwealth, not trying to colonize it, then I’ll go back and forth. Better to have me heading this place than another Colter.” She finished.

                “I can’t guarantee that everyone else will see it that way.” Gage said quietly. Olivia stood, stretching gingerly to avoid hurting herself.

                “Gage, if there’s one thing I’ve learned since waking up 200 years in the future after nuclear war literally destroyed everything I knew and loved, it’s that no one can guarantee shit. Now I know it’s early, but I’m so tired, and I just want to lie down and find some position that doesn’t feel like I’m being stabbed.” She said, and turned towards the bed. She heard Gage sigh behind her, but then he stood, sidling up behind her and placing a protective hand in the small of her back.

                “You’re gonna get me killed out there.” He said quietly. Olivia felt the corners of her mouth twitch up.

                “You always say that.”


	28. It's All Over but the Crying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap guys, I'm so sorry this took so long to get up. I'd explain everything, but just know the last couple weeks have been so crazy for me. But here it finally is, the thrilling conclusion to this leg of Olivia and Gage's story. I have the second "part" I suppose you would call it, already well under way and will be posting it shortly. A warning of sorts, it's written from Gage's point of view, and is a bit more domestic than this fic was. There will still be plenty of action, and the same Gage and Olivia you've come to know and love, but the obstacles they face will be more emotional than physical. Here's hoping you guys enjoy that one as I hope you've enjoyed this one.

 

                She couldn’t move.

                She couldn’t see what was holding her down but none of her limbs were responding to her. It was dark, so dark, but she could see shadows moving in her vision. She tried to move her head, tried to strain against the bonds but her body wasn’t listening. She could feel the panic rising in her, threatening to spill over and she wanted nothing more than to run, to pull away, but she couldn’t. It was as though her body and mind were two separate beings, unable to communicate or react to each other.

                The shadows around her were moving closer. She could see them in the corners of her eyes, darting around beside her. And now she could hear them. Whispering incomprehensibly, right near her ears. She swore she could feel their breaths huffing on her neck and she tried to close her eyes, tried to call out, only to find that she was gagged again. She felt bile rise in her throat and fought to keep it down.

                “…gonna fuck you and skin you…” Mason’s voice called from the dark. Her heart sped up, pounding so hard she knew that he must be able to _hear_ it. Again she tried to struggle away, urged her body with all that she had, all she could muster to just turn her head, to cry out, just to do something.

                And then the hand closed on her throat.

 

 

 

 

                “Olivia!” Gage was yelling as her eyes flung open. She gasped and then choked at the sudden influx of air, the sudden realization that she could move. She thrashed momentarily, fighting against Gage as he tried to grab at her arms.

                “Olivia wake up, you’re dreaming!” He called again, and she began to feel the touch of the night air around her, cool on her sweat soaked skin. She saw that it was still dark out, but there was a light, precious light, from a lantern across the room. Slowly she stilled, her arms still caught in Gage’s hands. Her chest throbbed as her injuries protested, but her breathing began to slow, because she could at least feel _something_.

                “Olivia?” Gage asked, his voice quiet and full of concern. She dragged her eyes to meet his good one. It was bloodshot, flicking back and forth across her face, searching for signs that she was awake, that she was alright.

                “We’re going tomorrow. We’re going to get the power back tomorrow.” She rasped, and then pulled herself into the Raider’s bare chest.

 

 

 

 

                She woke to an empty bed, though there was a note written on a crumpled piece of paper on the pillow next to her. Blinking the remainder of sleep from her eyes she read it, brows furrowing.

                “Be back soon.” It said in messy slanted letters. Olivia sighed. Of course he had left, probably off to get some sleep since she so rudely woke him up in the night. She closed her eyes and flopped back onto the bed, trying to push the memories of her dream out of her mind. Had she traded one demon for another? Would she ever be able to sleep soundly, without worrying about the faces of her past haunting her?

                She sighed again, explosively, and sat up. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Today was going to be the day that they took back the power plant, that they cleared out the remaining Pack members, and turned on the power to the park. She took stock of herself, noting the twinges and aches that still lingered. Her hand was still wrapped, stiff and sore from the broken bones and disuse. She cautiously removed the makeshift brace, trying to flex her fingers. The stimpaks had helped to begin the bone healing process, but the hand was still mostly useless. She wrapped it in some cloth, forgoing the hard plastic pieces that had been binding it before and set to getting dressed.

                It was mid-morning when Olivia heard the lift begin to move. She had been idly scrolling through her Pip-boy, checking maps and generally just trying to pass the time until Gage came back and they could make a plan. She hopped off the bed and came to stand near the bar, watching as the Raider came into view, his face beaming when he saw her.

                Good, you’re up. C’mon, I got something to show you.” He said, an uncharacteristic smile lighting his face. He reached towards her and grasped her good hand, gently pulling her onto the lift. Olivia couldn’t help but let a small smile come to her face as well at his demeanor. He was absolutely giddy.

                “Gage, what’s going on? Where are we going?” Olivia asked as the lift began its decent. Gage shook his head, still grinning widely.

                “You’ll see, it’s just down at the bottom here.” He said, and planted a quick kiss on top of her head as they came to a halt. Gage grabbed her hand again and tugged her off the platform, moving quickly around the side of Fizztop towards the entrance to the Disciples hideout. He came to a stop and pulled her up beside him before throwing his hands out in an enthusiastic manner.

                They were standing in front of a pristine suit of X-01 Power armor. It gleamed, even in the dull light of the cloudy day. Mags, William, and Nisha, as well as a couple other random Raiders were standing around it. As they noticed her, they all turned expectantly. Olivia slowly approached the suit, marveling at its newness. She had never seen Power Armor that looked so… unmarred.

                “It’s the one from-,” She began, but Gage cut her off in his eagerness.

                “From Galactic Zone, yeah. They found the last of the star cores a week ago and have been looking for a fusion core to get it running since then. Then everything happened with Mason and it kinda got forgotten about.” He said, letting his hand roam over the polished metal of the suit. Olivia was still circling it, ignoring the feeling of eyes on her.

                “Until last night, Gage here woke us up at the ass-crack of dawn and told us to find a fusion core right then or there would be hell to pay.” William said, obviously still perturbed by this ungracious disruption of his sleep. Gage glanced at him, then back to her. She met his eye and lifted her brow questioningly. He merely shrugged.

                “You said we were moving on the power plant today, so I figured you could use this.” He said, smile slightly fading. Olivia nodded and turned her gaze back to the suit. She came around to the back of it, and with a slight intake of breath, turned the small wheel that opened it. It hissed and she stepped back a pace, watching as it slid open, all the parts moving smoothly and without the usual grind of metal that the suits she had found in the Wasteland typically made.

                She could feel the eyes of the onlookers on her back as she grasped the cool metal of the armor and pulled herself inside. She was always a bit small for most of the suits, and this one was no exception, but when she felt it close behind her and readjusted herself in it, she found she fit better than most of the worn out models. The inside smelled of oil and new metal, none of the usual stink of unwashed bodies and sweat that Power Armor usually had. She did a quick test of the arms and legs, twisting the body of the armor as well. She was amazed at how smooth and fluid it was. So, apparently, was everyone else, who watched her with wide eyes as she flexed the fingers of the suit.

                “Well, are we ready to get the power back on to this place?” She said, hearing the tinny sound of her own voice as it came out through the armor. An eerily similar smile came to all the Raider bosses faces, and Nisha nodded before turning to the other Raiders around them, calling out orders to assemble. Olivia turned to Gage, who was looking up at her in the armor, a great shift from him usually looking down at her.

                “Let’s go do this then.” She said, and watched the smile return to his face.

 

 

                They regrouped about an hour later at a small security post down the hill from the power plant. There was no real way to mask their approach, as they arrived with a large group of both Disciples and Operators, but Olivia figured it didn’t matter. The Pack knew they would be coming eventually, and trying to hide would likely only delay the assault longer. The Raiders were restless, checking weapons and murmuring amongst themselves as Olivia came to stand in front of them. The armor was surprisingly quiet, owing to the newness of it, and it made her movements easier, as she was still stiff and sore from her attack. She reached up and removed the helmet, feeling the cool air of the blustery day touch her face. Gage stood by her elbow, waiting.

                “You all know what we’re here to do. Don’t stray from that. We’re here to get the power back on, and drive the Pack out. If they run, don’t chase them. I don’t need us getting scattered and distracted from the main goal. Other than that-,” She said, addressing the crowd, who were now all -absorbed by what she was saying, “-kill any fucking Pack Raider you see.” She felt the vibration of the crowd around her, excited and ready to go. She turned to the leaders and nodded to them.

                “Nisha, you and the Disciples clear the outside of the building and take watch. If any try to run out the doors… well, you know what to do.” She addressed the masked woman, who nodded and gestured to Dixie and Savoy, who were standing just to the right of her.

                “Mags and William, the Operators will be tasked with clearing the interior of the building. Don’t let any of the fuckers hide anywhere. It’s a big building, and will likely be trapped, so be careful.” Olivia said. The Blacks nodded simultaneously and went to address the Operators in the crowd.

                “You sure you’re ready for this?” Came Gage’s voice from beside her. She turned to look at him, still not used to the size difference she had in the Power Armor.

                “I have to be. The sooner they’re gone and the power is back on, the better. The better for everyone.” She said, tilting her head towards the crowd. Gage eyed her, but nodded in agreement. Olivia sighed, and then put the helmet back on.

                “Let’s go then.” She said, and the group began the trek up the road to the plant.

 

 

                The Pack was a disorganized mess. Gage had told her that they had found a new Alpha already, but it appeared that whoever they had found either wasn’t great at giving orders, or didn’t command the same respect that Mason had. Clearing the outside of the building was child’s play, and it hadn’t taken long before the Disciples were set up tactically around the parking lot.

                The inside of the building was another story. Inside, the Pack had the advantage in that they knew the terrain. The plant was full of old chain link, rusted out ramps, and debris and trash from years of disuse. They were stumbling over skeletons and dead ghouls, trying not to get shot or hit with grenades by hidden Pack members. The going was slow. Olivia often got turned around in the gunfire, and ended up doubling back up a ramp she had already been down before. Gage was letting out a seemingly non-stop string of profanity as they went, cursing the Pack and the dark and the close quarters and really anything he could see.

                The Operators were doing their best to clear the building, moving systematically through and checking anywhere that was large enough to hide a body, but the Pack knew how best to maneuver through the wreckage and rust, and wasn’t making it easy for them.

                They had been at it for what seemed like hours, exchanging gunfire and checking and rechecking rooms they had already been in when they came to a room with a ladder leading to a trap door in the roof. Olivia looked from the door to Gage and shrugged.

                “I won’t fit up there in this.” She said simply, and then pressed the release on the suit. She heard it hiss, and the back panels began sliding open. She hopped out, grimacing at the sudden change in the usage of her muscles. The suit made moving much easier.

                “Want me to go first?” Gage asked, and Olivia shook her head.

                “No, I will. But if someone blows my head off you have to avenge me, okay?” She said, trying to slip a light note into her voice. Gage raised a brow at her, but said nothing. Olivia shouldered her weapon and grasped the cool metal of the ladder. The rust scraped her palm as she climbed, grasping the rungs with her good hand. As she reached the top, she pushed the door open with her arm, squinting against the dull cloudy light that filtered in.

                No one shot at her, that was good. In fact, it appeared that the roof was completely free of Pack members. She and Gage stood on the grated walkway for a moment, surveying the area before noticing a small structure down a ramp. With silent agreement the two moved towards it, minding corners and checking behind them as they moved. They reached the building and each took a side of the door, before flipping in and scanning the room with their weapons at the ready. It was empty.

                “Holy shit this is it.” Olivia exclaimed, slinging her shotgun back over her arm and making her way towards a console on the opposite side of the room. It was red, and the buttons and screens that littered it were flashing and blinking. There was a large red button in the center of the console that read “Nuka-World Power Re-route” on it. It stood in front of a large window that allowed for a wide view of the entire park in the distance.

                “Gage, this is it. This is the switch.” Olivia said, half awed, half nervous. She heard nothing from the man, and wondered for a second if she had spoken aloud, when his voice came from behind her.

                “Uh, Olivia.” He said, and there was a note of something in his voice that sent a shiver through her. She spun on her heel, reaching for her weapon, but stopped short as she took in the scene before her.

                It was Skinner, the rat-like man that had come to distract Gage on that fateful day that she had been kidnapped by Mason and the Pack. His face was barely visible behind Gage’s shoulder as he was several inches shorter, but the gun that was shoved into the spot where Gage’s neck met his jaw was clearly visible. Skinner had a grip on Gage’s arm with his other hand, and a sick smile was playing on his face.

                “Drop it or I’ll blow his head off.” Skinner said, and Olivia was surprised to hear no stutter or falter as she had the last time they had met. She held her hands out and slowly reached for her gun, sliding it down her shoulder and onto the ground.

                “Goddammit Olivia just fucking shoot the fucker.” Gage growled, earning a sharp jab from the gun barrel. Olivia shot him a look.

                “Shut up Gage.” She said, before returning her gaze to Skinner.

                “Yeah, listen to the fucking Minuteman bitch if you know what’s good for you.” He snarled. Olivia’s blood froze at the mention of the Minuteman from him. She barely registered the slur, though she saw Gage stiffen as the word left the Pack Raider’s mouth.

                “What do you want, Skinner?” Olivia said, trying to keep her voice steady. The man scoffed loudly.

                “I want to be Overboss, duh! I want to lead the Pack to the glory it deserves, show them all that I’m the best Alpha they’ve ever had, so great that I took down an Overboss!” He said, his voice rising high in excitement. Olivia shifted, and Skinner drove the gun deeper into Gage’s neck. Olivia could see Gage’s throat bob as he swallowed hard.

                “So take it, it’s yours. You can be the Overboss if you want, I don’t fucking care. Just let Gage go.” Olivia said calmly. Skinner laughed.

                “I can’t do that. It’s not that easy. I’ve gotta kill you, you’re with the Minutemen, you know too much! If I just let you go, no one will take me seriously. Letting some bitch that’s with those goody-two-shoes fuckers just walk? No way in hell!” He exclaimed, and Olivia could tell he was probably hyped up on Psycho, if not other chems as well. Olivia’s heart was hammering in her chest, making her broken ribs ache terribly.

                “I’d stop calling her that if I were you.” Gage said, and Skinner cocked the hammer of the gun he held back, jabbing it deeper into Gage’s neck. Olivia shot him a look that she hoped said “shut the fuck up.” Before turning her gaze back to Skinner.

                “So kill me then, but Gage didn’t do anything, in fact, you won’t get far as Overboss without him. You need  him.” She said, rationalizing it any way she could think of. She saw Gage’s eye roll skyward and almost laughed, despite the situation. Skinner contemplated those words momentarily, before swinging the gun out of Gage’s neck and training it on Olivia’s chest.

                “Good point.” He said, and then a shot rang out. Olivia’s eyes were screwed shut, and for a moment she believed he had actually shot her, the pain in her chest was so sharp. But she was still standing, and she ventured to open one eye, then the other.

                Skinner lay in a heap on the floor, and Gage had moved to the side of the door. His gaze was firmly trained on Mags Black, who now had a gun pointed directly at Olivia. She raised a brow at the woman, who calmly stepped over the prone body of the Pack leader on the floor, not removing the weapon from its aim at her.

                “Thanks for that Mags.” Olivia said cautiously, watching as the woman came to stop in front of her. Mags’s face didn’t change, still intent on Olivia’s, her cat-like eyes boring into her. Olivia ventured a breath and the pain in her chest eased slightly.

                “It’s true you’re with the Minutemen then?” Mags asked finally. Olivia swallowed and nodded slowly. Mags looked quickly from her to Gage.

                “You knew about this?” She barked at Gage. He stepped forward warily.

                “Not at first, but you know what happened, Mags, you were there. She killed Colter and we kinda didn’t give her any other choice. She tried to tell me but I didn’t listen, and by the time I found out it was-,”

                “So freeing the slaves? Preventing us from moving into the Commonwealth?” Mags asked, more to Gage than to Olivia, though her gaze never moved from Olivia’s. Gage stepped towards the woman, one hand raised in a calming gesture.

                “Mags, you can’t tell me you ain’t raking’ in the caps right now. More so than you ever have before she came here. Fuck, everyone is making more than we could have hoped and we don’t even have the goddamned power back on yet.” He explained quickly. Mag’s face remained the same, not threatening, but more curious, doubting. Olivia said nothing, just met her stare full on. She was so fucking tired, and she knew Mags was gonna do what she was gonna do, nothing she could say would help that. Her only hope was Gage, who dove into his next argument without waiting for a response from the other Raider.

                “Look you know the kinda Raiders we usually have as Overbosses. They’re lazy and get power hungry and all they focus on is themselves. Happened with Colter, happened before him, and I know that you know that if we put another typical Raider in that position the same damn thing would keep happening. Olivia, despite her…loyalties… was what this place needed, Mags. I mean, sure we ain’t out with settlements in the Commonwealth, but is that really stopping us from making more caps than you’ve ever seen in your life?” He argued. Olivia had to hand it to him; he was really trying to keep her alive.

                “And for fuck’s sake Mags, do you really think I’d have let her keep going if I thought she was really fucking us over?” He said, trying for a chuckle. The barrel of Mags’s gun dipped a bit, and her face changed to one of slight amusement.

                “If the fuck she gave you was good enough I don’t doubt you would have let her run this place into the ground, Gage.” Mags replied, and Olivia felt the heat rise in her cheeks. The Raider lowered the rifle she held even farther then, and stepped towards Olivia.

                “But you’re right, the caps are rolling in, we’re getting new recruits, and the smaller jobs into the Commonwealth haven’t stopped. Not to mention the park is cleared and we’re about to turn the power back on.” She said. She slung the weapon up with one hand, resting it on her shoulder and letting her demeanor fall back into her usual cat-like dismissiveness.

                “I guess maybe the perfect Overboss for a bunch of Raiders isn’t actually a Raider.” She said, sidestepping Skinner’s body on the floor. Olivia swallowed hard, and felt her heartrate begin to slow, realizing suddenly that it had been racing.

                “Let’s hope William and Nisha feel that way as well.” Olivia said to the woman. Mags smiled and nodded.

                “Let me deal with William. As for Nisha, just don’t take away the Gauntlet and she’ll be fine. She respects you more than I’ve seen her respect anyone before.” Mags purred, leaning against a workbench in the corner of the room. Olivia raised a brow at her, garnering a smirk from the Raider. Gage stepped towards Olivia, his eye surveying her quickly before nodding at the button behind them.

                “Well, are we gonna do this or what?” He said, and Olivia turned around, almost forgetting about their original intent with the commotion that had gone on in the last 15 minutes. She swallowed, her palms suddenly sweating with an anxiety that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Was she nervous about giving Nuka-World its full potential back? About giving this much power to such a large group of Raiders? Or was she nervous that her time here would essentially be over? That she could now go back to the Commonwealth with no excuses left to keep her here?

                She glanced at Gage, who was watching her intently. She flashed a small smile at him and reached her hand out towards the button, hovering over it. She curled her fingers against her palm repeatedly; trying to dry the sweat that had suddenly sprang up. Then Gage’s hand was on top of hers, warm and calloused, but steady. She looked up at him, and his gaze was so fixed on her she could almost hear him in her head: “ _Together.”_

                So they finished it as they started it, both pressing the button down as one. There was a loud humming noise as the electricity jolted from the generators below them, and one by one in the distance the parks began to light up, the long dead neon suddenly flashing back to life in the dull cloudiness of the early evening. There was sudden booming, and sparks began to dance through the air, causing Gage to pull back and touch his weapon.

                “Fireworks…” Olivia whispered, in awe of their colors as they boomed over Nuka-World. Gage relaxed and she could feel his quizzical look boring into her.

                “Like, explosive decorations. They were for celebrating back before the war. It’s surprising they’re still functional after all this time.” She explained, watching the last of the colored explosions dissipate in the sky. From their vantage point she could already see some of the rides moving once again, the Ferris wheel began to creak to life, and some rockets began drifting lazily around their posts in Galactic Zone. They watched for a while, even Mags coming up behind them and staring in open mouthed wonder at the sight.

                “You did it.” Gage said from beside her. “You actually did it.”

                “We did it.” Olivia said, but Gage shook his head.

                “Nah, this was you. I was just there to make sure you didn’t get eaten by a giant worm or some shit.” He said, his voice wavering with suppressed laughter. They stood watching for a while longer, and then Mags took her leave, deciding to go see how the Operators were doing clearing the rest of the building. Night was falling, and the air between Olivia and Gage suddenly became very charged with the question that they both knew was coming, but neither wanted to ask: “ _Now what?”_

                “So I guess the bosses won’t take issue with who you are then.” Gage finally said, his words cutting through the air between them. Olivia swallowed, turning to the Raider.

                “Yeah, I guess not. But I still have to go back, Gage. I have obligations, people to help-,” She started.

                “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He said, and it was silent again for a long time. Eventually Olivia felt Gage reach out, his hand grasping hers, their fingers twining together.

                “Guess that means I’ll be going with you then.” He said softly, his voice dropping low so Olivia had to lean in to hear him. She shifted her eyes to meet his.

                “Can’t let you have all the fun out there, can I?” He said, and with a smirk leaned in and kissed her hard, leaving the taste of salt and gunpowder on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, and for all the kudos and comments you've given me! This has been my most ambitious work so far, and the feedback I've received on it has really been outstanding. I genuinely love you all. If you wanna find me elsewhere, I'm known to do lots of shitposting on tumblr at sydneymariethezombiequeen.tumblr.com, come check me out and leave me prompts if you'd like! Thanks again! And be sure to look out for the second installment!


End file.
